Named after
Wayne Shorter's classic composition "Footprints," the
Joe Lovano and
Dave Douglas quintet Sound Prints is a collaborative ensemble born out of the duo's involvement in the 2008
SFJAZZ Collective's tribute concert to legendary jazz saxophonist
Shorter. Inspired to continue the creative spark they ignited at that event, saxophonist
Lovano and trumpeter
Douglas conceived of a group that would play original compositions, as well as new material from
Shorter. The group's 2015 concert album,
Sound Prints: Live at Monterey Jazz Festival, showcases their debut appearance at the famed jazz event. Joining
Lovano and
Douglas here are pianist
Lawrence Fields, bassist
Linda Oh, and drummer
Joey Baron. That each of these musicians could easily lead their own band only adds to Sound Prints' depth as an ensemble. However, rather than coming off as a jazz supergroup, Sound Prints feel like an organic unit of like-minded individuals working toward creating something new. Along with the palpable
Shorter influence, they also recall the ruminative experimentalism of the late trumpeter
Kenny Wheeler and his 5tet from the early '90s. To these ends, cuts like the fractured title track and the rambunctious, stream of conscious "Weatherman," combine the free bop of
Ornette Coleman's '60s quartet with the expressive earthiness of
Douglas' own work with his
Tiny Bell Trio. Similarly, the evocative, bluesy "Spirits" brings to mind late-'60s
Miles Davis, while the Latin-esque "Power Ranger" recalls latter-day
John Coltrane. Elsewhere,
Douglas and
Lovano deliver two previously unheard
Shorter pieces with the sultry, introspective "To Sail Beyond the Sunset" and the languid "Destination Unknown." Ultimately, Sound Prints walk the line between muscular, tangible post-bop and free-flowing, avant-garde playing; a tantalizing dance that never fails to leave an impression. ~ Matt Collar