Dave Douglas hardly needed to write "An Infinite Thank You to Miles Davis" in the liner notes of his latest CD, "The Infinite." The influence of Davis is present throughout this recording. But it's good. Very good. Douglas, who has released a series of tributes to jazz giants such as Mary Lou Williams, knows the difference between influence and imitation.
More than appropriating Davis' style, Douglas and band read his late-'60s quintet like a guidebook and then took the journey themselves. The result is one of Douglas' best albums since he started winning critics' polls and releasing a steady stream of innovative jazz recordings in the early '90s. "The Infinite" is certainly the most accessible of his releases, veering away from his harder-edged, avant-garde work and diving headlong into the half-electric, half-acoustic vibe that Davis pioneered.
The opener, "Poses" (a Rufus Wainwright cover), has a lazy, looping melody. Douglas' trumpet and saxophonist Chris Potter, who seems to have appeared on every other recording out of New York in recent years, work well in tandem. Douglas takes the lead, with Potter adding a parallel counter melody. It's like two melodies for the price of one. "The Infinite" takes a more determined forward drive, with sharper solos and stronger swing, only to be followed by the slower, introspective "Penelope," which gives Douglas a chance to really show off his Davis-derived trumpet tone. He quotes liberally from Davis, but has his own fresh phrasing.