Dave Douglas gave us a fascinating interview at the end of 2011. The very least we can do in return – nine months later –  is to salute the birth of a new, highly personal album Be Still, launched in New York last Wednesday at the 92Y- TriBeCa, and released worldwide next Tuesday on Greenleaf Music.

Dave Douglas has previewed the album launch :

“Be Still initially came about from a collection of hymn songs suggested by my mother, Emily Douglas. She passed away last year after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She wanted a joyous celebration of life, and playing these arrangements with Aoife and the band has been powerfully uplifting and life-affirming. Far from funereal (!), playing these tunes has become a true celebration for us, and the kind of party that Emily would have wanted.

I never imagined I would be playing this music, and yet the songs have come to life for me in a rich and powerfully personal way. Along with the hymns, I’ve written some new pieces for the band, and arranged a few more folk songs. Adding harmonies and improvisations brings a new context for these songs, and the musicians in this project are bringing so much of themselves to the music. This is a new area for me after many years in music and I look forward to sharing it on Wednesday and beyond.”