1997 · Album
Sanctuary
Recorded 1997 (live) · Avant (Japan) · Produced by Not credited in available sources
Douglas and Company Playing as Equals
Part abstract space shooting, part late-night dance party, all mixed with scratching and balladry of outside jazz.
Sanctuary arrived quietly in 1997 on the Japanese Avant label, a live recording that didn't immediately dominate conversation but found its audience among listeners already attuned to Douglas's restless aesthetic. AllMusic reviewer Joslyn Layne recognized something essential: this wasn't Douglas fronting a backing band, but a genuine collective where everyone had weight. That distinction matters because it shapes how you hear the music. Vu's trumpet intertwines with Douglas's rather than following, while Anthony Coleman's arrangements and Mark Dresser's bass create spaces that feel discovered rather than declared.
The group moves through what sounds like several different parties happening simultaneously. There's genuine swing and dance-floor energy alongside abstract textural work and the kind of outside playing that doesn't announce itself—it just happens. Chris Speed's clarinet and saxophone work in particular has this quality of appearing in odd corners of the mix, finding melodies in unexpected places. The scratching and sampled elements Yuka Honda brings sit naturally in the framework rather than as novelty.
This is worth hearing if you already value Douglas's work and want to see how he sounds when he genuinely shares the stage rather than leads it. It's also a solid entry point for anyone drawn to ensemble jazz that refuses to stay in one mode. It's neither his masterpiece nor a deep catalog requirement, but it captures something real about collaborative invention that doesn't often make it onto records.
