Reviews for the new Riverside album, ‘The New National Anthem’

Accolades for the second Riverside recording The New National Anthem are coming in! Check out what writers have to say below.

“Harmony usually isn’t the major point in a band with just two horns, a bass and a drum kit. (Note: no piano, no guitar.) But scarcity is opportunity. On “Never Mind,” a serenading new waltz on Dave Douglas and Riverside’s new disc, “The New National Anthem,” it’s all about the satisfying amity between Mr. Douglas’s trumpet and Chet Doxas’s tenor saxophone. And there’s a not-so-secret ingredient: those bubbling, two-note globules coming from the five-string electric bass of Steve Swallow, who wrote the tune.”
– Giovanni Russonello, New York Times, premiering ‘Never Mind’ video

“The group illustrates its agility while delighting us with whimsy…”
–  Jim Macnie, Village Voice and Lament for a Straight Line

“Douglas’ trumpet sound is slightly pinched and occasionally warped by mutes, which allows him to converse with Doxas’ clarinet in a relaxed and easygoing manner. Swallow’s bass is a deep throb, and Jim Doxas scampers across his kit and back, rarely cutting loose but always keeping just enough tension in the rhythm that you think he might go off any second, so you better pay attention.”
– Phil Freeman, Stereogum, The Month in Jazz – June 2017

“Riverside is blessed by the maturity of [the] trumpeter/composer, the presence of master musician Steve Swallow, and the influences that the Doxas brothers bring to the music, not to forget lessons learned from listening to the music of Carla Bley.”
– Richard Kamins, Step Tempest

“Compositions here do exactly what they should in jazz, creating zones of reference and specific materials, assembling interesting ideas that invite elaboration. … they inspire individual and collective performances of a very high order.”
– Stuart Broomer, New York City Jazz Record, July 2017

“The ever-discerning Bley herself is a fan of The New National Anthem, and with the joy on display that went into making this record, it’s not hard to figure why. In his thoughtful musical dissertations and fresh takes on some of the most complex and misunderstood jazz geniuses throughout the idiom’s history, Dave Douglas keeps elevating his own craft and himself becomes a shining example for others to follow.”
– S. Victor Aaron, Something Else

You can purchase the new album on Bandcamp and iTunes.

And look for European tour dates in the fall for Riverside with Carla Bley to be announced soon!