dave douglas & elan mehler - there are mountains album release at fotografiska, nyc, jul 6, 2023
photography by ©Clara Pereira; text by Filipe Freitas
The beautiful space on the sixth floor of Fotografiska, a photography museum located in Gramercy Park in Manhattan, was the ideal spot for trumpeter Dave Douglas and pianist Elan Mehler celebrate the release of their conjoint album, If There Are Mountains (Greenleaf Music). This work, originally conceived for a vinyl-only release on Newvelle Records, was inspired by Haikus, an ancient Japanese type of poetry with particular characteristics.
For this performance, the group included vocalist Dominique Eade and bassist Simón Wilson, who both played on the album, as well as saxophonist/clarinetist Jon Irabagon and drummer Rudy Royston, who subbed for John Gunther and Dayeon Seok, respectively.
The concert began with “Wolf Orchard”, having muted trumpet and tender piano voicings establishing the poetic mood for Eade’s vocalized expression of Adam McBride-Smith’s lyrics. The piece that followed, “If There Are Mountains”, laid down a contagious, slightly funkified groove and a melody that brought hints of gospel and soul in it. The declaratory brass authority of Douglas, and the sinuous, crystalline phrasing of Irabagon on clarinet heated the atmosphere.
Other highlights included “We Saw You Off”, in which Douglas and Irabagon traded ideas in the course of several bars; “Village of No Bells”, with Eade granting it an ethereal vulnerability while exploring higher registers; and Mehler’s “Even a Nameless Stream”, which showcased the parabolic curves and sinewy tenor quality of Irabagon.
The group closed with “A Thicket of Summer Grass”, a propulsive groove-based number whose improv duration was extended to Wilson and Royston. A night where jazz and haikus blended with high quality.