Dave Douglas’
Mountain Passages
Dave Douglas (trumpet/composer), Michael Moore (alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), Peggy Lee (cello), Marcus Rojas (tuba) and Dylan van der Schyff (drums). On Mountain Passages, these musicians unite their distinct musical personas into an ensemble with an extraordinary sound.
Mountain Passages was born in part out of an invitation received from The Festival at The Sound of the Dolomites in Northern Italy. They asked the trumpeter to write music that would be played between nine and twelve thousand feet. Dave explains the invitation from the festival: “they told me we'd be hiking. They also sent a recording of their local Ladino music. Like all great music it raised more questions than it answered, but it seemed to veer between solemn devotional calmness and riotous drunken celebration”; two poles of expression Douglas explores on Mountain Passages. To Douglas, this seemed like an “imaginary gig, imaginary mountain music,” until it happened. In August of 2003 Douglas led NOMAD in a long hike up to Rifugio Boè in Valle di Fassa and to Rifugio Brentei near Madonna di Campilglio (all part of the Dolomites mountain region). There they played this music for hundreds of fans that had hiked up to hear them. Douglas said of the performance, “it was one of the most exhilarating musical experiences I've ever had.”
The other motivating force for Dave in composing the music for Mountain Passages were thoughts and memories of his father Damon Douglas (1934-2003). “My father was a mountain runner and map maker, and in 1980 he wrote a letter to the Woodstock Times defending his passion against those who thought it unseemly to be running over the trails. I think he would have enjoyed this music, I wrote it with him in mind. Sadly he never got to hear it, leaving this earth less than a month after the premiere. I think he was probably pleased the way he went - quickly, doing what he loved most. In many ways, this music is for Damon.”
“North Point Memorial” was composed by Douglas specifically for his father Damon, and is titled for the location where his memorial stone lies. It is also one of the compositions on the recording that most resembles a chamber music piece. Douglas explains further: “This (Mountain Passages) is chamber music in the sense that it's written for a small ensemble in which each part is equally important. So it takes the lessons of small group jazz and translates them to this unique set of instruments. Each player has to cover a lot of ground to complete the music.”
Mountain Passages also reveals influences from jazz, folkloric music, literature (“Bury Me Standing” is a reference to a book by Isabel Fonseca about the Romany people), and from the composer’s own recordings, such as A Thousand Evenings (Charms of The Night Sky), Strange Liberation (Quintet with Bill Frisell), Songs for Wandering Souls (Tiny Bell Trio), and others. Yet it is completely distinct, due in part to Douglas’ relentless explorations through music from around the world. “Jazz and American Music is wide open to the world these days. I feel a part of that movement.” He added, “I hope people can hear the continuity between this and my other work, and it’s place in the evolving story of jazz.”