Douglas/Sclavis/Lee/Van Der Schyff ~ Bow River Falls
The conclusion of
Douglas’s contract to RCA has freed him to release collaborations like
this one, recorded during Canada’s Banff International Workshop in Jazz
and Creative Music of which he was director. The group begin with Blinks,
embellished with a tripping art deco-like melody whose form quickly disintegrates
into a freeform passage full of trilling, up and down motion. Peggy Lee establishes
the mournful tone of the title track with her swooning cello, but it’s
leavened by Douglas's authoritative but sympathetic playing and Van Der Schyff's
gravelly digitalia. The quartet’s unusual instrumentation creates an
interesting tonal palette and the music veers between free passages, walking
rhythms and carefully enunciated melodies. Despite some lovely contributions
from the others, Douglas's playing stands out. By turns he’s mercurial,
fluid and remarkably tender, his tone is like fresh mountain water, its clarity
further emphasised by the occasional injection of blues intonation. Recommended.
Colin Buttimer
October 2004
Published by Jazzwise magazine