Dave Douglas (born March 24, 1963) is a U.S. jazz trumpeter and composer. He is generally acclaimed for his perfomances and especially his songwriting, which often draws on many non-jazz musical styles. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal Republic George... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the early 1920s in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ... Trumpeter redirects to here. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Jazz is an original American musical art form originating around the early 1920s in New Orleans, rooted in Western music technique and theory, and is marked by the profound cultural contributions of African Americans. ...

Since 1993, Douglas has recorded twenty albums as a bandleader. He has also performed and recorded with dozens of musicians, perhaps most notably with various John Zorn ensembles. With his own groups, Douglas has pioneered new settings for the trumpet in jazz and expanded concepts of what the music (and music in general) can be. In more recent years he has explored colloborations involving modern dance, spoken word/poetry, and film. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in New York City) is an American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. ... Spoken word is a form of music or artistic performance in which lyrics, poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung. ... Poetry (from Ancient Greek: (poiéo/poió) = I create) is traditionally a written art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

Early years

Douglas grew up in the New York City area and attended Phillips Exeter Academy, a private high school in New Hampshire. He discovered jazz while on an abroad program in Spain. After graduating from high school in 1981, he studied at the Berklee School of Music and the prestigous New England Conservatory, both located in Boston, Mass. Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... The Academy Building Phillips Exeter Academy (also called Exeter, Phillips Exeter, or PEA) is a co-educational independent boarding school for grades 9-12, located on 471. ... Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945, is an independent music college in Boston, Massachusetts with many prominent faculty, staff, alumni, and visiting artists. ... The Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra performing in Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory of Music. ... Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Official website: www. ...

In 1984, Douglas moved to New York to study at New York University (NYU) and finish a degree in music. Meanwhile he played with a variety of ensembles and came to the attention of the famous jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Horace Silver. Douglas played with Silver from 1987 to 1990. New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ... Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (born September 2, 1928 in Norwalk, CT) is a famous jazz pianist and composer. ...

1990s

In 1993, Douglas began performing with John Zorn in his Masada quartet, which blended the influences of saxophonist/composer Ornette Coleman, and Jewish folk musics. The band became one of Zorn's most long-standing and popular ensembles, and brought Douglas wider attention. Masada is not so much a band as a musical project that John Zorn embarked upon in the early 90s. ... Ornette Coleman Ornette Coleman (born March 19, 1930) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. ...

Since the mid 90s, Douglas has led a variety of groups simultaneously. His first album as a leader, Parallel Worlds (1993), featured the composer backed by a string trio performing his own compositions and music by Webern, Kurt Weill and Stravinsky. Meanwhile Douglas formed two new groups, the Tiny Bell Trio, and his Sextet. The former performs what Douglas calls "Balkan improvisations." It is unusual in its instrumentation (trumpet, guitar, drums) and blends Eastern European folk influences with jazz. The Sextet features the classic instrumentation of trumpet, tenor sax, trombone, piano, bass, and drums. This group focuses on the music of great jazz composers and Douglas pieces inspired by those musicians. Their first release was a tribute to the late trumpeter Booker Little. Anton Webern (December 3, 1883 – September 15, 1945) was a composer of classical music and a member of the so called Second Viennese School. ... Kurt Weill, a photo taken in Salzburg, Austria, 1934 Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York, was a German composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... Igor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky () (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a composer of modern classical music. ... Booker Little, Jr (born on April 2, 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee-died October 5, 1961 in New York City, NY) was a United States jazz trumpeter and composer. ...

In 1996, Douglas co-founded Sanctuary with Cuong Vu, Anthony Coleman, and other musicians of the New York downtown scene of the time. The group involved sampling and DJ improvisations in addition to jazz. Cuong Vu (b. ...

In 1997, Douglas started a quartet featuring trumpet, violin, accordion, and bass. The group would eventually be called Charms of the Night Sky after the title of its first recording. Eastern European and Jewish folk musics as well as jazz are strong influences on their music, which is generally mellow and relaxed. Their debut includes a number of tracks with Douglas and accordionist Guy Klucevsek performing as a duo. Guy Klucevsek (born February 26, 1947) is an American-born accordionist. ...

Also in 1997, Douglas founded another quartet. The Dave Douglas Quartet performs wild, freewheeling music, influenced by the bands of Ornette Coleman and John Zorn. Ornette Coleman Ornette Coleman (born March 19, 1930) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in New York City) is an American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. ...

2000s

In 2000, Douglas released Soul on Soul, a tribute to composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams featuring original arrangements of her music for the Sextet and new pieces inspired by her work. The album received great praise, and Douglas won the Down Beat critics polls for trumpet, composer, and album of the year in 2001. Douglas also released albums featuring Charms of the Night Sky and the Dave Douglas Quartet in the same year. Mary Lou Williams (May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. ... Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to jazz. ...

In the early years of the decade, Douglas worked often with the Trisha Brown Dance Company. El Trilogy, an extended musical work accompanying modern dance, was performed from 2000-2001.

Witness, an ambitious nine-part suite, was released in 2001. It features a band made up of trumpet, sax, two electric pianos, electronic percussion, bass, and drums. Douglas's music had always been informed by his political concerns, but this album was his most ambitious attempt to give them musical form, often by celebrating his political and cultural heroes through dedications and track titles. The album includes a 20 minute track entitled "Mahfouz" in which gravel-voiced singer Tom Waits reads an excerpt from the works of Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz, as well as pieces dedicated to Edward Said and Taslima Nasrin. Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. ... Naguib Mahfouz (Arabic: نجيب محفوظ ) (born December 11, 1911) is an Egyptian novelist. ... Edward Said Edward Wadie Said (November 1, 1935 – September 25, 2003; Arabic: ) was a well-known Palestinian American literary theorist, critic, and outspoken pro-Palestinian activist. ... Taslima Nasrin Taslima Nasrin (Bangla: তসলিমা নাসরিন), also known as Taslima Nasreen, (born 25 August 1962 in Mymensingh, Bangladesh) is a Bengali Bangladeshi physician, writer, radical feminist, human rights activist and secular humanist. ...

More recently, Douglas founded the Dave Douglas New Quintet and Nomad. The Quintet is a trumpet and tenor sax-led group but with Fender Rhodes electric piano. Their first album, The Infinite (2001) featured Douglas originals and pieces by or inspired by popular musicians Rufus Wainwright and Thom Yorke. This was followed up by 2004's Strange Liberation by the same group with special guest Bill Frisell on guitar. Formed in 2003, Nomad is made up of trumpet, clarinet, cello, tuba, and drums. With this band, Douglas performed his suite Mountain Passages, commissioned for the Italian Sound of the Dolemites Festival. The suite features a variety of different influences including Italian Landino music, New Orleans jazz, and other musics, and is to be played from 9 to 12,000 feet above sea level. Rufus Wainwright performing at the University of Chicago on October 29, 2005. ... Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke. ... William Richard Bill Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. ...

Douglas has also started a new band called Keystone, which performs works influenced by the silent film actor and director Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. The project includes pieces to be performed with Arbuckle's films. This ensemble is made up of trumpet, tenor sax, wurlitzer (electric piano), turntables, electric bass, and drums. A CD of this music – accompanied by a DVD with two Arbuckle shorts – was released in 2005. Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle (March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film comedian. ...

His lastest CD is Meaning and Mystery, where he plays again with his quintet.

External links

• Official Site: http://www.davedouglas.com/
• Greenleaf Music: http://www.greenleafmusic.com/
• Album Review @ TracksMusic.com
• Biography, CD and concert review of Dave Douglas
• History, biography and concert review of Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio by cosmopolis.ch
• Dave Douglas @ All About Jazz