Dave Douglas - The Dream: Monash Sessions (2021) [Hi-Res]

I’m very grateful to Paul Williamson, Robert Burke, Jordan Murray, Johannes Luebbers and the SZCSoM for instigating the invitation to compose and record this music with these fine musicians. In looking for an Australian connection to inspire the work, I stumbled on the prose and poetry of Kevin Gilbert. His connection to land, to people, ancestors, and to love, moved me deeply. The imagery in his work, and as I later found out, his graphic artwork, felt keenly attuned to sound and musical expression. Each piece was inspired by one of his works and, with deep respect and feeling, we crafted a lyric and an improvisational content in collaboration. All the players here are excellent, and in each round of recording and production, these pieces became finely honed and sharp edged gems.

The process of recording varied greatly: some pieces used pre-produced audio guides, others had more open ended and free-form frameworks. Each musician recorded their part in their home studio on their own schedule, reacting and adapting to recordings made by other ensemble members. Convenings differs slightly in this regard: the score is a series of instructions for each performer to be performed strictly in time; the musicians all recorded their parts by themselves without hearing the others. All of the audio on the album was then blended together after the fact, and brilliantly mixed and mastered by Daniel Tan and Hadyn Buxton.

Just as Monash University acknowledges the Elders and Traditional Owners of the land on which the four Monash University Australian campuses stand, I would like to acknowledge and honor the Elders of my own land, the Lenape people. May The Dream be a tribute, and inspire fair treatment and a just, equitable system in our societies.
- Dave Douglas, New York, 2021

Composed by acclaimed American composer and jazz trumpeter, Dave Douglas, The Dream was inspired by the poetry of First Nations author, activist, artist, playwright and printmaker, Kevin Gilbert (1933–1993). It features Douglas alongside the outstanding jazz and improvisation musicians from the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music (SZCSoM), Monash University (Melbourne, Australia). The nature of this recording was particularly ambitious as a result of the challenges posed by asynchronous performance and recording (in response to the COVID-19 distancing restrictions), with the performers working across distance and differing time zones and restricted to recording from their respective home studios. Recording such as this enable students the privilege and rare opportunity to be mentored by artists in workshops, rehearsals, performances and the recording process gaining a deep understanding of collaboration with international leaders in the field. This unique student experience is a key pedagogical approach within the SZCSoM, that focuses on mentoring the emerging next generation of jazz and improvisation musicians.
- Paul Williamson, Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Trumpet: Dave Douglas
Voice: Natasha Weatherill
Drum Kit: Sam Hunt
Vibraphone & Rhodes: Miro Lauritz
Guitar: Eugene Stone-Marques
Bass: Tim Hannan
Alto Saxophone: Mitchell Hand
Trombone: Oskar Moore

Nobler Truths
Composed by Dave Douglas
Lyrics by Olivia Chamoun

Trumpet: Dave Douglas
Voice: Olivia Chamoun
Drum Kit: Marissa Di Marzio
Vibraphone & Rhodes: Miro Lauritz
Bass: Vasilios Drakopoulos
Trumpet: Ashley Ballat
Trombone: Callum Mintzis
Alto Saxophone & Flute: Mia Barham