Constellations was the second album that Dave Douglas recorded with his Tiny Bell Trio, which excluded piano and bass and united the experimental trumpeter with electric guitarist Brad Schoeppach (subsequently changed to Shepik) and drummer Jim Black.
Douglas described the trio as a "jazz-Balkan improv" group, and to be sure, East European music is a strong influence on abstract inside/outside originals like "Unhooking the Safety Net," "Hope Ring True," and the probing "Scriabin." Some of Douglas' writing is inspired by sociopolitical situations.
"Taking Sides" is an emotional piece that was influenced by the bloody fighting that, in the 1990s, took place in the former Yugoslavia, while "Maquiladora" takes its name from a Spanish word for American-operated factories along the U.S./Mexican border -- the infamous maquiladoras are known for their low pay and dangerous working conditions, and the song's somber mood paints a depressing picture of such an environment.
Another high point of the CD is Douglas' interpretation of Herbie Nichols' "The Gig"; the late Nichols is among the unsung heroes of jazz pianism, and Douglas deserves credit for embracing his work.
Constellations isn't easy to absorb on the first listen; like a lot of avant-garde jazz, this is music that reveals more and more of its power with each listen.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ConstellationsDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 07:07 | 0 MB | 41 MB |
| 2 | Unhooking the Safety NetDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 06:32 | 0 MB | 31 MB |
| 3 | Hope Ring TrueDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 09:09 | 0 MB | 47 MB |
| 4 | Taking SidesDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 06:10 | 0 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | The GigHerbie Nichols | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 05:29 | 0 MB | 32 MB |
| 6 | ScriabinDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 05:58 | 0 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | Les CroquantsGeorges Brassens | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 02:47 | 0 MB | 14 MB |
| 8 | MaquiladoraDave Douglas | Dave Douglas, Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Play | 11:08 | 0 MB | 62 MB |
| 9 | Vanitatus Vanitatum (mit Humor) | Dave Douglas | Play | 04:35 | 0 MB | 23 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 58 mins | 318 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Black | Drums |
| 2 | Georges Brassens | Composer |
| 3 | Dave Douglas | Composer, Liner Notes, Primary Artist, Producer, Trumpet |
| 4 | Dave Douglas Tiny Bell Trio | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 5 | Maarit Kytöharju | Cover Photo |
| 6 | Herbie Nichols | Composer |
| 7 | Peter Pfister | Engineer, Mastering, Mixing |
| 8 | Robert Schumann | Composer |
| 9 | Brad Shepik | Guitar, Guitar (Electric) |
| 10 | David Thorne | Photo Montage |
| 11 | Werner X. Uehlinger | Producer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |