Dave Douglas and Elan Mehler

The Dave Douglas and Elan Mehler Sextet mixes seasoned veterans with relative newcomers, setting poetry and specifically haiku into the context of improvising music. Their new album, If There Are Mountains, is their first project as co-leaders. Douglas and Mehler composed all thirteen tracks between themselves.

While the spark for Douglas and Mehler’s collaboration around haiku goes back two decades to an early performance of Douglas’ ” Village of No Bells”, this vocal-forward ensemble sounds undeniably fresh. The group presents unusual melodic relationships with concise expression, matching the form of the Japanese and contemporary poetry found within the lyrics.