Spark Of Being: Expand

Dave Douglas (trumpet) has played with John Zorn, The SFJAZZ Collective, and many others. Here he leads his group, Keystone, on their third album. This music is quite modern throughout, but also very listenable and accessible. There’s nothing abrasive or difficult here. An excellent modern jazz record. This music was originally composed for a reinterpreted “Frankenstein” film that premiered at Stanford.
No FCC issues.
Be Sharp’s Picks: Try any. You can’t go wrong. 2, 3, and 5 may be the most interesting and innovative.

1. * "Spark of Being" - The title track. Dissonant & free, yet beautiful & moving. Very nice work (3:44)

2. * "Creature" - If there’s such a thing as a ballad in modern jazz, this is it. Starts off with a pretty, tonal melody on sax. It gradully increases in volume, tempo, and complexity. Toward end, there are simulated animal sounds: birds at first then a dog yowling. (7:33)

3. * "Tree Ring Circus" - A lot going on, as the name implies. Sax & trumpet play some nice jazzy riffs, while the guitar, bass & piano go for jazz-rock fusion. The drums hint at something Latin. (5:42)

4. "Observer" - Starts with mysterious sci-fi sounds. Resolves into a catchy, toe-tapping jazz tune (4:03 )

5. * "Chroma" - World music influences (Africa? Middle East? India?) and interesting modal melodies. A long piece: the sax leads most of the first half, trumpet the second. Both are backed up by intricate, syncopated drums and some nice work on electric piano. (7:42)

6. "Travelogue" - Up-tempo rocker. Plenty of electric guitar. Sounds much like the Miles Davis “Bitches Brew” band. (7:56)

7. "Prologue" - Slow & plaintive. Opens with just bass & cymbal. Sax & trumpet introduce a slow, sad theme, then each takes a turn exploring it. Piano adds ethereal space music. Funny, ending a set with a tune called "Prologue," but it does seem to hint at and anticipate something that's coming. (5:52)