Dave Douglas, one of the most prolific writers, performers and recording artists in jazz today is also one of its widest-ranging stylists and important entrepreneurs. At the age of 59, his award-winning career includes more than fifty recordings as a leader, close to one hundred as a sideman,  and more than five hundred published compositions. In 2005 Douglas founded Greenleaf Music, a record label for his albums, sheet music, podcasts, as well as the music of other modern jazz musicians. To date, Greenleaf has produced over seventy albums and continues to be an important independent source for recorded music. Among Douglas' interests are the history of the trumpet, his chosen instrument. He is the co-founder of the Festival of New Trumpet Music in New York, and has written varied pieces for the instrument, including for chamber orchestra. It's this last area that led him down a long path to the creation of Secular Psalms, his latest release. Dave began to formulate the work as part of a larger plan to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the famed Altarpiece "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" painted by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, with creation of new music. The polyptych was originally created for display in St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium in the early 15th century, and has had a history of being removed, stolen and finally restored to its initial glory. Douglas finally arrived at music that would celebrate spiritualism in all its many forms, and the work at times takes the structure of a classic Mass. To bring the work to life, he assembled musicians form across the US and Europe, needing multi-instrumentalists who could handle both the tools of the 15th and 21st century. The resulting group - Berlinde Deman on serpent, tuba, and voice; Marta Warelis on piano, prepared piano, and pump organ; Frederik Leroux on guitars, lute, and electronics; Tomeka Reid on cello; and Lander Gyselinck on drums and electronics – is joined by Douglas on trumpet, and for the first time, vocals as well. The music they make seems to defy time and space across the fifty-plus minutes of Secular Psalms, but is always moving and touches the listener's heart and soul as well as intellect. Podcast 893 is the first of two podcasts with Dave Douglas. In the first part, we talk extensively of the Secular Psalms project, beginning with his interest in the composers of the early 14th century French Ars Nova, most notably Guillaume De Machaut, This led to the writing and recording of Fabliaux with the Australian Monash Arts Ensemble in 2014. Secular Psalms may be considered a logical next step in Douglas' interest in the past. Musical selections include "Ah Moon" and "We Believe." Part Two of the conversation with appear next week, and include discussions of recent Douglas projects, most notably his Sound Prints group with Joe Lovano, and Greenleaf Music.

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