The music of guitarist/composer Scott DuBois exhibits a balance between the visceral and conceptual. His playing can be delicate or violent, his writing direct or abstract. DuBois finds part of his diverse inspiration in the Impressionists, both visual and aural, providing compositions that suggest form through sound with intense emotion. He references the work of one great artist directly, the master painter Claude Monet. The results can be heard on his stunning, new Sunnyside release, Landscape Scripture.
An Illinois-native turned New Yorker, DuBois has been active in the international jazz world for over a decade. He has released five albums, three on Sunnyside, featuring his quartet of woodwind multi-instrumentalist Gebhard Ullmann, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Kresten Osgood. With his core ensemble, DuBois has focused on developing a sound that allows for his classically inspired compositional identity alongside his emotive improvisational one. He has found as much inspiration in the works of Igor Stravinsky, György Ligeti and Witold Lutoslawski as he has in the fiery displays of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. DuBois has also been actively nurturing his formal classical writing to round out his musical identity.
Like many artists before him, DuBois has been greatly inspired by nature; especially landscapes. It shouldn t be surprising that he chose to write four compositions inspired by the great impressionist Claude Monet s famous series of landscapes entitled Haystacks. The series of 25 separate canvases depicts the same subject haystacks in various seasons and times of day. The pieces are interspersed throughout the selections on Landscape Scripture.
The compositions on Landscape Scripture are expertly crafted while allowing the instrumentalists to manipulate the form with their unique tones and textures. The coalescence of their dramatic performances creates a feeling of a mirage-like structure in flux. DuBois s intent is clear: to create emotional pieces of music that contain intensity and restraint without rigidity, music that cuts straight to the heart.
amazon.com
