Nextbop

The Next Generation of Jazz

  • Home
  • Blog
    • Newest Posts
    • Streams & Videos
    • Reviews
    • Interviews
  • New Releases
  • Best Of Lists
    • Best of 2019
    • Best of 2018
    • Best of 2017
    • Best of 2016
    • Best of 2015
    • Best of 2014
    • Best of 2013
    • Best of 2012
    • Best of 2011
    • Best of 2010
  • Advertising Rates
  • About
  • Contact Us
Home / Blog / Reviews / Dave Douglas’ High Risk at the Montreal International Jazz Festival

Dave Douglas’ High Risk at the Montreal International Jazz Festival

July 4, 2015 By Jason Stillman

ShareTweetSubscribe

Subscribe to our mailing list and receive our most read content directly to your inbox every month!*

* indicates required
*By subscribing, you agree to receive our monthly newsletter as well as sporadic promotional emails. Feel free to unsubscribe at any time!

Prolific trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas was the proud father introducing his brand new baby to Montreal fans at le club l’Astral Tuesday, June 30. His new venture, High Risk, featured Detroit-based electronic musician/producer Shigeto (of Ghostly International) and NYC scene favourites Jonathan Maron and Mark Guiliana on electric bass and drums. The group combined electronic music with jazz improvisation, building on concepts established by Douglas’ “Keystone” sextet and played compositions from their self-titled album, released on June 23.

Douglas’ main objective when assembling this group of young visionaries was to “put everything at risk” and create a situation that forced the musicians to be “in the moment and create with [their] wits from one second to the next”. This statement seemed to hold true on Tuesday as the members of High Risk remained on their toes for the entirety of the set, listening and reacting to one another with cat-like precision. The most striking contrast one notices between this group and others is the presence of an electronica musician where ordinarily there is a pianist or guitarist. Shigeto provided harmonic and melodic accompaniment, however, his primary contributions came in the form of underlying sonic textures and interjected electronica sounds. Occasionally, he would offer a purely rhythmic accompaniment although that role was handled primarily by bass and drums. Maron used a number of analogue synth bass sounds to provide further variety within each sonic landscape and Douglas had him double the melody with trumpet on certain tunes, which effectively underscored those lines. The precision with which the two played together had a particularly captivating effect.

Douglas was charming on the microphone, showing off his french chops and joking with the audience between songs. If there was high risk involved, he didn’t show any signs of tightness and seemed right at home playing with any and all combinations of the various band members. This included a remarkable duo piece with Shigeto that featured Douglas whistling and blowing into the valves of his trumpet like a flute.

The evening concluded with a heartfelt version of “Cardinals”, a Douglas composition dedicated to Michael Brown, composed during the events that took place in Ferguson, Missouri. The song continues to grow in significance for the members of High Risk as there seems to be a new “Ferguson” taking place in the US each week. Douglas took more than a few minutes to convey that “Cardinals” represents the importance of communication between human beings of different cultures in order to “survive on this planet”.

After more than two decades, Douglas continues to be one of the major leaders of the improvised music world. He continues to take musical chances and High Risk is paying off in spades.

The album is available on Greenleaf Music and can be pre-ordered on iTunes.

Liked the post? Take a second to support Nextbop on Patreon!

Filed Under: Blog, Reviews Tagged With: Dave Douglas, HIGH RISK, Jonathan Maron, Mark Guiliana, Shigeto

Follow Us


6,871
followers

9,720
followers

1,182
followers

Monthly Newsletter

Get our 5 most-read posts and a list of brand new jazz albums sent directly to your inbox every month!


Support Nextbop on Patreon

Top Posts

  • Rob Shepherd Favorite Jazz Albums Decade Rob Shepherd’s Favorite Jazz Albums of the Decade
  • Best Jazz Albums 2019 Nextbop’s Best Jazz Albums of 2019
  • Nardis: A Critical Analysis of Covers
  • The Pitchfork of Jazz
  • Binker and Moses – ‘Alive in the East?’ (Album Review)

Tags

Aaron Parks A Critical Analysis of Covers BADBADNOTGOOD Ben Wendel Ben Williams Biophilia Blue Note Brad Mehldau Brainfeeder Braxton Cook Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah Concord Corey Fonville Derrick Hodge ECM Edition Gerald Clayton Gilad Hekselman Greenleaf International Anthem Jason Lindner Joel Ross Justin Brown Kassa Overall Kendrick Scott Lawrence Fields Linda May Han Oh Makaya McCraven Mark Guiliana Matthew Stevens Motéma Nate Wood Nonesuch Phronesis Pi Robert Glasper Ropeadope Sarah Elizabeth Charles Stephan Crump Stretch Music Sunnyside Taylor Eigsti Thundercat Vijay Iyer Whirlwind
© 2021 Nextbop. All rights reserved.
Use of any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policy.