Five

Released in 1996 on Soul Note, 'Five' is a pivotal document of Dave Douglas's String Group. The ensemble - featuring Mark Feldman on violin, Erik Friedlander on cello, Drew Gress on bass, and Michael Sarin on drums - replaces the traditional jazz harmony of a piano or guitar with the contrapuntal possibilities of a string trio. This configuration allows Douglas to explore a 'chamber jazz' aesthetic that is as much influenced by 20th-century classical music as it is by the jazz avant-garde. The album is notable for its series of dedications to influential figures like Wayne Shorter, John Cage, and John Zorn, signaling Douglas's wide-ranging intellectual interests. Critics, including Scott Yanow of AllMusic, have noted the group's intuitive interaction, drawing parallels to the democratic improvisational spirit of Ornette Coleman's quartets. The recording is dry and intimate, emphasizing the physical textures of the instruments.