Dave Douglas releases Transcend, his new album featuring the GIFTS Quintet – James Brandon Lewis (tenor saxophone), Rafiq Bhatia (guitar/electronics), Tomeka Reid (cello), and Ian Chang (drums) – available everywhere today.

Inspired by Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts, landmark works performed between 1965 and 1973 and widely regarded as the spiritual culmination of his career, Transcend draws on a profound musical and spiritual lineage. Ellington famously reflected, “Every man prays in his own language, and there is no language that God does not understand.” Douglas draws inspiration from this ethos, by engaging with the spirit of openness, reverence, and humanity. Dave remarks in the liner notes:

“Whatever it was that Duke Ellington connected with in creating his Sacred Concerts, it burst forth with extraordinary new music. There is much scholarship on Ellington’s spiritual journey. In the music, his directness towards the holy, the sacred inside and outside the church, his humor and grace in the face of the human condition— this is the legacy of a towering figure in Black American music who knew these would be among his last works.”

Transcend communicates wonder, awe and connection – a reconciliation between spirit and craft, and between the individual and community.

BUY NOW

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Transcend Album Release
May 12-17
Village Vanguard
178 7th Ave S, New York, NY

Tickets and info here.
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Early Praise:

“Douglas’s trumpet timbre is warm yet restrained, patinated rather than brilliant, thoughtful rather than declarative. The ensemble moves with quiet precision, each instrument swaying in and out like currents in a larger tide.” – Paris Move

“Possibly [Dave Douglas’] most audacious quintet yet… working with Ellington’s Sacred Concert material into an ebuillent, swinging, atmospheric statement of today with some of the best players.” – Screen of Distance

“Douglas’s willingness to create fascinating new contexts for himself, and inspire his compatriots to elevate their game accordingly, is inspiring and a hell of a lot of fun.” – Stereogum

“The Gifts band masterfully channels Ellington’s quiet beauty and deep introspection, its own energies into lyrical, fascinating, and nuanced textures that have an immediate, uplifting emotional and motivational effect.” – salt peanuts*

“[GIFTS] quintet is a wash of intersecting colors and ideas… truly a small orchestra. The Ellington interpretations do not disappoint.” – PopMatters

“Transcend stands as a continuation of Douglas’s evolving vision: music as a site of connection, transformation, and shared meaning, shaped as much by history as by the spontaneous decisions made in the studio.” – Jazz Chill Music

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More from Transcend:
• Album announcement & Single #1 “Energy Fields”
• Single #2 “Gentle Collapse”
• Single #3 “Come Sunday”
• Gifts Quintet at the Village Vanguard in May