New Used's tremendous second (and final) album further refined the ensemble's sound while also signaling that its collaborative model might be a bit limiting for at least one bandmember. All the hallmarks of Souvenir are there: intricate compositions, skilled arrangements, expressive soloing, and the same general balance whereby no single voice tends to dominate the instrumental mix. One of Dave Douglas' more memorable early compositions is here: Petals is a fine example of his ability to compose in a canonic style, with a striking melodic theme layered in counterpoint by Douglas' trumpet and Mark Feldman's violin over a complex yet flowing rhythm. Beginning as a somber and moody off-meter dirge, Petals builds dramatically during Douglas' solo break as Feldman and Andy Laster on baritone sax join with the trumpeter and ultimately nearly match his heated intensity. Feldman's American Gladiators is another highlight; it begins with a lengthy introduction of low stirrings among the instruments, which are then summoned to order by energetic fanfares. There are solo spots for bassist Kermit Driscoll and a fiery Feldman but, as is typical for this band, the supporting musicians are given complex roles that far transcend typical post-bop comping. Driscoll and Laster also display their compositional chops, with the bassist contributing two numbers and the reedman three. Like Souvenir, Consensus nicely displays Laster's spacious and subtle chamber jazz writing style. His Melchior Kimmel and Stentor (the latter of which turned up in a big-band version on Orange Then Blue's Hold the Elevator in 1999) have passages with a contemporary classical feel, but episodes of loose swinging and warmly expressive soloing are also thrown here and there, as if some partygoers had invaded and taken over a chamber ensemble. Despite the Consensus title, this album can be seen as foreshadowing Douglas' emergence as a dominant figure on the New York (not just downtown) scene as the '90s progressed. In retrospect, it's hard not to imagine the soon-to-be leader of eight separate creative jazz ensembles bursting through the seams of this collaborative outfit. So although all the members of New Used (except drummer Tom Rainey) contributed music to Consensus, Douglas got over 30 minutes in total, given the presence of his 24-minute, three-part album-closing opus Countercultures. This piece stands in sprawling contrast to Petals and covers an even more expansive stylistic waterfront, beginning with the musicians stuck in off-kilter repetitions and then twisting and turning through all manner of moods -- somber, playful, lyrical, and explosive -- before its wildly energetic finale. Dedicated to "the Group of 77 nations as an alternative to the hegemony of the Group of Seven," Countercultures also reveals (if you read the liner credits anyway) some of Douglas' international political perspective. He would also use his music to focus attention on political and economic injustice with Tiny Bell Trio (e.g., Maquiladora) and his ambitious Witness project which debuted at New York's Tonic in 2000. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi

1		Melchior Kimmel
2		Petals
3		Alignment
4		American Gladiators
5		Bomar
6		Stentor
7		Straw Hat
8		I
9		II
10		III

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