Home » Jazz Articles » Play This! » Dave Meder: Modern Gothic

Dave Meder: Modern Gothic

By John Chacona
September 22, 2023
View read count

Hymn tunes are having a bit of a moment with players such as

Dave Douglas

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Douglas and

" data-original-title="" title="">James Brandon Lewis calling on these sturdy old melodies for projects that often wander far from their plain, homespun source material. On New American Hymnal (Outside in Music, 2023), pianist

Dave Meder

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Meder goes a step further by making the communal nature of hymn-singing a metaphor for the current state of society in the United States. "Modern Gothic" joyously references the simple triadic harmonies of Protestant hymns while subtly tweaking their foursquare structure.

Philip Dizack

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Philip Dizack's trumpet adds a heraldic, annunciatory voice while bassist

Marty Jaffe

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Marty Jaffe and drummer

Michael Piolet

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Piolet lead the congregation out of the sanctuary and into a New Orleans street parade. Here's another reference that's hard to miss: the American and European quartets of

Keith Jarrett

piano
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Keith Jarrett, especially in the unison turnaround figure that unmistakably nods to the bouncing melody of "The Windup," one of Jarrett's signature compositions. Sing hallelujah!

Contact John Chacona on All About Jazz.
John Chacona is a freelance journalist, content writer and producer in Cleveland.

Contribute to Play This! Recommend a favorite song, album, or performance and we'll share it with your fellow All About Jazz readers. Submit it here.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Ryan Oliver: Zigging With A Jazz Mae...
< Previous

Vibes on a Breath
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.