Jazz Trumpet

Once again I seem to have an insatiable appetite for jazz trumpet. And while Miles always factors prominently, there are two modern artists that deserve far more attention than I think they get. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing both at the Triple Door in the past months.

 

Tomasz Stanko has been a mainstay in the Eastern-European jazz scene for almost four decades. His music is rooted in the modal rebellion started by Davis, Coltrane, and Shorter. His handpicked twenty-something New Quartet reflects this: meaty pianist Marcin Wasilewski is two parts Hancock, one part Corea, and a dash of Mehldau without the arrogance. Stanko’s recent release, [Suspended Night](http://www.amazon.com/ex ec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000V765G/qid=1089414321/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-7317445 -2156051?v=glance&s=music&n=507846), is a transcendent series of variations on a theme. Minimalist touches and space reign supreme; the vast emptiness of the night pervades all. This is a worthy successor to _Kind Of Blue_, and while it says something new, it’s very much rooted in the sound and tradition of that era.

Dave Douglas is a truly modern jazz trumpeter and composer. The leader of five world-class bands, he’s probably best known for his participation in John Zorn’s Masada. Douglas’ nearly one-hundred CD releases run the gamut from pop to free jazz to electro-fusion; no two are the same. Of the sixteen I own, two require special mention: [Charms of the Night Sky](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000009QKD/qid=1089414914/s r=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl15/002-7317445-2156051?v=glance&s=music&n=507846), a chamber-jazz exploration of Hungarian folk melodies, and [The Infinite](http ://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00006313H/qid%3D1089414979/sr%3D11-1/ref%3 Dsr%5F11%5F1/002-7317445-2156051), an avant-jazz collection with a brilliant cover of Bjork’s “Unison.”