# CD review: Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas Sound Prints Quintet – Vienna 2022: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2022/11/22/review-joe-lovano-dave-douglas-sound-prints-quintet-vienna-2022-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2022-11-22T00:04:42+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Sound Prints, the all-star quintet spearheaded by the titanic tenor saxophonist
Joe Lovano and the formidable trumpeter Dave Douglas, releases its third full-length
album, this time featuring only original compositions by the leaders but still inspired
by the musical temperament and style of the legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter.**

However, exploring such an impactful legacy takes the two composers to new places
in the company of a multi-generational trio of rhythmic backers and accomplished
soloists, namely pianist Lawrence Fields, bassist Linda May Han Oh and veteran drummer
Joey Baron.

“Space Exploration”, the first part of Lovano’s Other Worlds Suite, first spins 
with spiritual consciousness and then allures our sonic palate with crisp unisons
that leave room for Baron’s stable drum fills. The bass initiates a swinging route
that serves the excellence of Lovano’s vertiginous ins and outs, just before Oh 
starts off a line of thought herself. Her impressive bass work is put on halt immediately
after, when Douglas rides high on top of an adept accompaniment provided by piano
and drums. Concluding the series of improvisations, Lawrence dovetails whirling 
figures and works on classical-inspired movements that incessantly land in the right
places.

The ensemble often passes the idea of free-form exploration but never really loses
the sense of structure. That’s evident in pieces touching the borders of post-bop
and avant-garde, like Douglas’ “Life On Earth”, a tour-de-force that incorporates
dashes of funk, bendable horn stretches, and a modal property that easily recalls
the Miles Davis Quintet from the 1960’s. Moreover, the name Miles in the title of
Lovano’s “Sky Miles” might not have been by chance; it’s a mighty jab into ingenious
post-bop that also falls into the Shorter/Davis’ bag.

“The Flight”, the third movement of Lovano’s above-named suite (nonsequential on
the album’s track list), teems with playful lyricism and smoldering horn exchanges
that form a kaleidoscopic sheet of sound. It all plays out under a springy, waltzing
articulation.

Douglas’ fascination for the ancient past and its major figures is bespoke in two
of his pieces: “Antiquity to Outer Space”, whose modern creative traits are shaded
with wafts of chamber music, and “Pythagoras”, a polyrhythmic stunner in which we
find the musicians pushing and prodding each other in an effort to go beyond themselves.

Baron’s brushed textures and sizzling cymbals propel “Manitou” with the help of 
a coruscating bass churn. This is a ballad in six that produces plenty of melody
via the elegant dance between muted trumpet and tenor saxophone.

There’s a relaxed assurance to the entire set that stems from the experience of 
the collective. The musicianship involved here is outstanding, resulting in a work
of great impact that deserves enthusiastic commendation.

Disc 1
 1. Intro – Christoph Huber 2:15 2. Antiquity To Outer Space 15:48 3. The
Flight 10:14 4. The Transcendentalists 9:06 5. Talk – Dave Douglas 2:03 6. Sky Miles
12:17

Disc 2
 1. Untitled 12:17 2. Life On Earth 12:12 3. Talk – Joe Lovano & Dave Douglas
1:15 4. Space Exploration 12:28 5. Shooting Stars 3:33 6. Pythagoras 6:01

Porgy & Bess Jazz & Music Club, Vienna, Austria; July 10, 2022.

**Joe Lovano – ts, ss**
 **Dave Douglas – tp** **Lawrence Fields – p** **Yasushi
Nakamura – b** **Rudy Royston – dr**

![](https://i0.wp.com/i120.fastpic.org/big/2022/1120/fe/daac3ecaccd3fbef2b739d20edb895fe.
jpg?resize=640%2C640&ssl=1)

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