Dave Douglas and Frank Woeste are 'Dada People' on New Greenleaf Music Release [REVIEW]

American trumpeter Dave Douglas and French pianist Frank Woeste come together to celebrate Dadaist artist Man Ray [1890-1976], a painter, photographer, sculptor and filmmaker who changed the rules for what was considered art between the two world wars. "Writing music based on visual art is always very subjective and intuitive," writes Woeste in the liner notes. To that end, Dada People (Greenleaf Music) weaves its magic-with the help of bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Clarence Penn-through 10 tracks of almost-avant posturing.

Opener "Oedipe" references composer Erik Satie [1866-1925] in its classical leanings. "Mains Libres" is for poet Paul Eluard [1995-1952] who frequently wrote verse to accompany Man Ray's drawings. "Queen of Montparnasse" is for Man Ray's muse, Alice Prin [1901-1953] who aroused passion from many a man as she became a star dancer, model, singer, painter and writer.

One has to wonder what their numerous inspirations would think of this music. In the surrealistic world of Dada art, ordinary objects can be reimagined as works of art (like Andy Warhol's 1960s soup can). Plus, any object can exist as two things simultaneously. "Spork"
encapsulates this aesthetic beautifully as Woeste switches from piano to Fender Rhodes. Also, objects are constantly morphing into other objects, a visual strain that Woeste approximates with "Art Of Reinvention."

Dada People was made possible by a grant from the French-American Jazz Exchange. This quartet will be taking its act on the European road in November: Berlin Germany (18), Antony France (19), Paris France (21), Antwerp Belgium (22) and Schiltigheim, France (24). Stateside fans will have to wait until April of 2017 when they hit Troy NY (13), Philadelphia PA (14) and Washington DC (15).

TagsDave Douglas, Frank Woeste, Man Ray, REVIEW