Darjeeling and Douglas Part II

Back in February, I was ruminating about the beauty of Douglas' last recording, Bow River Falls while enjoying the last of my darjeeling. Well, this weekend I got a new shipment of darjeeling; First flush Puttabong estate and Margaret's Hope to be exact. The darjeeling put me in the mood for more Douglas, so when I went to Rhapsody, I was pleasantly surprised to find Douglas' recording from earlier this year, Mountain Passages. In a similar vein as Bow River Falls, the Mountain Passages album combines elements of classical music, and avant garde jazz. Nomad, Douglas' latest group, consists of five musicians on trumpet, reeds, cello, drums, and tuba. The music was commissioned for the Italian music festival, I Suoni delle Dolomitti, and also from what I understand Douglas' father, a mountain climber, who recently passed away. I believe the music is a homage to Miles Davis, particularly the great collaborations with Gil Evans, like Birth of the Cool combined with the funkiness of Mingus. The track "A Nasty Spill" evokes the spirit of Mingus. In this day and age, with the pressure of commercialisim, it is great to see Douglas putting out meaningful work such as this. Sit back, relax, and if you have some first flush darjeeling, enjoy a cup, with Douglas and his band Nomad. Click here to listen.