Performer Notes

Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy: Dave Douglas (trumpet); Vincent Chancey (French horn); Luis Bonilla (trombone); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Nasheet Waits (drums).
Personnel: Dave Douglas (trumpet); Vincent Chancey (French horn); Luis Bonilla (trombone); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Nasheet Waits (drums).
Audio Mixers: Tyler McDiarmid; Geoff Countryman.
Recording information: Brooklyn, NY (12/15/2008/12/16/2008); TG Studios, Long Island City, NY (12/15/2008/12/16/2008).
Photographers: Jem Cohen; Christopher Green.
SPIRIT MOVES is another one of the eclectic contemporary musician Dave Douglas's fertile side-projects. This time the trumpeter has put together a brass ensemble--including trombone, French horn, tuba, and drums--called appropriately enough Brass Ecstasy. And while the music has a vaguely New Orleans second-line aspect (deliberately so on the tribute "Bowie," for Lester not David, that is), Douglas ranges far and wide in his choice of material, opening with Rufus Wainwright's "This Love Affair" and closing with Hank Williams's "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." In between there are two other tributes to trumpet masters--the moody "Rava," for Enrico the contemporary Italian player, and the hiply melodic "Fats," as in the bebop great Fats Navarro. Despite the preponderance of horns, Douglas's writing is clear, witty, and accessible--like Carla Bley on a non-satirical day. Praise should also go to the lone non-brassman, drummer Nasheet Waits, who herds the ensemble along in brisk fashion, and tuba player Marcus Rojas, who provides a nice fat sound-cushion for the others.

Professional Reviews

Down Beat (p.57) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[With] Douglas originals, deploying tightly interwoven horn lines to conjure both jaunty grooves and impressionistic storytelling."

JazzTimes (p.36) - Ranked #16 in JazzTimes' "Top 50 CDs of 2009."

Signal To Noise (magazine) (p.49) - "'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' is a marvel of harmonic subtlety and emotional nuance....A distinctive take on American music and the brass band tradition, [with] Douglas creating work that's both meaningful and accessible."

Album: Spirit Moves
#	Song Title	Time
1)	This Love Affair
2)	Orujo
3)	View from Blue Mountain, The
4)	Twilight of the Dogs
5)	Bowie
6)	Rava
7)	Fats
8)	Brass Ring, The
9)	Mister Pitiful
10)	Great Awakening
11)	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Album: Spirit Moves
#	Song Title	Time
1)	This Love Affair
2)	Orujo
3)	View from Blue Mountain, The
4)	Twilight of the Dogs
5)	Bowie
6)	Rava
7)	Fats
8)	Brass Ring, The
9)	Mister Pitiful
10)	Great Awakening
11)	I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry