Dave Douglas – Meaning And Mystery

This album is another in the continually expanding Dave Douglas repertoire of great jazz music. This album reminds me of the Dave Douglas I was introduced to when I first heard "The Infinite." If you enjoy Miles, then you can certainly feel his influence on this album (as well as the Infinte)...it doesn't feel like a rip-off of Miles' music, however. The writing by Douglas is absolutely solid and original on this effort, and the musicians are all top-notch performers.

There is not a bad track on this album, and each song sounds new and fresh; giving Douglas' take on what a modern, creative jazz quintet should sound like. Each track has a noticeable melody, and is improvised upon to the maximum skill of each member. "Culture Wars" is one of my personal favorites on the album, and Douglas tears it up with Donny McCaslin on t. sax, uri caine on fender rhodes (what a great, funky sound), james genus on bass, and clarence penn connecting it all together with interweaving drum lines.
This is one of Dave Douglas' best albums to date, and it is really fun to listen to. Every time I listen to this album, I hear a different line in the improv or catch a cool bit of harmony I missed on the last listening. This album will never get old, and grows on you with each listen. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to know the new shape of jazz and where it is headed.