The Tradition Still Swings: Douglas Steps Forward
Douglas proves he belongs in jazz tradition as much as in the avant-garde, and does both without apology.
Soul on Soul arrives as Dave Douglas's first major-label release, and it's a deliberate statement: I can play straight-ahead jazz and I want to. This wasn't desperation for radio play or a compromise — it was confidence. Douglas had spent years exploring everything from Balkan brass to free improvisation, so stepping into a sextet built on bebop and post-bop vocabulary felt like a choice, not a retreat.
The lineup is exactly right for this project. Uri Caine on piano brings stride and sophistication; Chris Speed and Gregory Tardy on saxophones deliver the lament and swing; Josh Roseman adds warmth on trombone; James Genus and Joey Baron lock into the pocket without getting precious about it. Four of the tunes are Douglas's takes on Mary Lou Williams compositions, which matters — he's not just playing someone else's standards, he's in conversation with a major voice who also refused to stay in one box.
The AllMusic reviewer Steve Loewy heard this as a revelation for Douglas fans who only knew the avant-garde side, but it shouldn't have been a surprise. What Mark Corroto on All About Jazz understood better was that this sextet had permission to look backward without apology while keeping one eye on what came after. The record landed at 4.5 stars on AllMusic and showed that swing and experimentation weren't enemies — they were just different chapters in the same musician's vocabulary.
Who's playing
James Genusbass
Gregory Tardybass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Uri Cainepiano
Chris Speedclarinet, tenor saxophone
Dave Douglastrumpet
Josh Rosemantrombone
Joey Barondrums
