Saxophone player
Derek Douget can be heard at gigs and on the recordings of his musical colleagues, from pianist
Ellis Marsalis to drummer
Jason Marsalis to bassist
Roland Guerin.
Douget does seem a man in perpetual motion, skipping from clubs to festivals, which perhaps accounts for the name of his first CD. And it seems only fitting that the musicians whose recordings he supported with his best efforts would now be there for him. They return the favor by sitting in with
Douget on
Perpetual Motion, along with fellow travelers
Nicholas Payton on trumpet and flugelhorn and
Adonis Rose on drums. Together, they help
Douget achieve a first-class result on his initial appearance as bandleader on a recording. Good material helps. Most of the tunes on
Perpetual Motion were written by
Douget or
Jason Marsalis. The two musicians work together well, as evidenced by their collaboration on the drummer's CD releases
Year of the Drummer and
Music in Motion. On
Perpetual Motion, the alto and soprano saxophones of
Douget take the lead but often trade out with his stellar supporting cast.
Douget exhibits his versatility in styles on "G.O.A.," "Sir Remy," "Session Blues," and the title cut. The music really swings, as one would expect from musicians of this caliber who all come from the Cradle of Jazz. The longest selection, "Madness," is exactly that, taking the listener on a stunning journey into the musical genius of
Derek Douget and company. They pull out all the stops. You can hear the soul of the city of their birth in there, the Afro-Caribbean heritage from which it sprang, homages to those who have gone before, and a vision of what is to come.
Perpetual Motion never stands still. ~ Rose of Sharon Witmer