... if it's Thursday it must be Holland

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

.... life moves on

Dave Holland [a Guildhall alumnus] is a much admired bassist who has led and taken part in some of the very best jazz ensembles in the late 20th and 21st century .... at the end of '91 we saw his Quintet at Scott's, in a celebratory visit to mark No 1 Son's twenty first birthday ... [Steve Coleman sax, electric guitarist Kevin Eubanks and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith as i recall, do not quote me on this!] ... must have done something right at least was my paternal reflection ...

Holland is a much larger presence in the collection than any other bass player simply because of his stellar output .. and a major feature of ECM's output over the years ...

currently enjoying his presence on Circularity an album by Julian Arguelles with Holland, John Taylor and Martin France

apart from seeing him down Scotts in the late sixties this is when he blew heads off first:

any favourite albums as leader or sideman?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

this was recorded in March 1986 at the Shaw Theatre in London. Broadcast on BBC Radio's "All That Jazz".

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

.... life moves on

Dave Holland [a Guildhall alumni] is a much admired bassist who has led and taken part in some of the very best jazz ensembles in the late 20th and 21st century .... at the end of '91 we saw his Quintet at Scott's, in a celebratory visit to mark No 1 Son's twenty first birthday ... [Steve Coleman sax, electric guitarist Kevin Eubanks and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith as i recall, do not quote me on this!] ... must have done something right at least was my paternal reflection ...

Holland is a much larger presence in the collection than any other bass player simply because of his stellar output .. and a major feature of ECM' output over the years ...

currently enjoying his presence on Circularity an album by Julian Arguelles with Holland, John Taylor and Martin France

apart from seeing him down Scotts in the late sixties this is when he blew heads off first:

any favourite albums as leader or sideman?

Dave Holland is almost exactly the same age as moi plus a meagre few days. "Dutch" as we used to call him when he cheerfully plonked along with the Duke Bluesnik Hot Stompers at the Presto coffee bar in Great Murdoch Street. 1962 was a great year for jazz.

In my swinging sixties I am growing to like Bitches Brew (avec "Dutch") which I really disliked at the time. And that duo date he did with Sam Rivers.

Avante 'Olland.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

well S_A and i have a year on you El Senor Blues ... respect yer elders, wot i say ....

Thimar with Surman and Brahem was a catchy and very ECM album and this gig ...

[Serial_Apologist]

well S_A and i have a year on you El Senor Blues ... respect yer elders, wot i say ....

Thimar with Surman and Brahem was a catchy and very ECM album and this gig ...

It was a real honour being able to exchange a few sentiments with him at the close of the 80th birthday celebration concert for Kenny W at the RAM, seated with his very attractive American missus, partner, whatever, right in front of me in the audience for Part 2, when Chris Laurence had taken over the bass duties from him. Very nice man. Metaphorically, I can now see I was still in shorts, music-wise, in 1968 when he joined Miles.

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

It was a real honour being able to exchange a few sentiments with him at the close of the 80th birthday celebration concert for Kenny W at the RAM, seated with his very attractive American missus, partner, whatever, right in front of me in the audience for Part 2, when Chris Laurence had taken over the bass duties from him. Very nice man. Metaphorically, I can now see I was still in shorts, music-wise, in 1968 when he joined Miles.

Or the "BIg O"

"My goal from the outset was to be prepared to do any gig that was offered when the phone rang. In my early days, that meant things like recording commercial jingles and doing a tour with Roy Orbison. You have to ask yourself how you can make any music you’re working with as good as it can be.”

2015-02-08 - Dave Holland.

BN.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

gig huh try this

[Serial_Apologist]

Sauce Hollandaise

gig huh try this

Interesting listening to this; given that DH is restricting himself more-or-less to a fixed ostinato for most of his backing of his soloists, this number, a minor 12-bar, could easily be a track from Graham Collier circa 1970, though the trombonist here would outbid almost any one of ours at that time, Paul Rutherford excepted, and as far as I remember, Graham never employed a vibes player in his smaller line-ups. So much different from what Holland felt he could do with the bass in the Surman/McLaughlin track above, or with Chick Corea's Circle around that same time. I think that, resting on his reputation, he got into thinking that enjoying oneself and not needing anymore to display his extraordinary technique became his prime motivation for playing - something which I felt very strongly in that 1986 tour with Surman and Elvin, in Calum's second clip, where, notwithstanding all the conviviality, tbf I was disappointed that they all seemed rather to be resting on their laurels.

Anyone else noticed that strange, bottom-shrunk bass Holland is playing in this more recent clip?

[Ian Thumwood]

There is a terrific version of "Homecoming" on the Gateway album of the same name. I love John Abercrombie's playing and hooked up with DeJohnette and Holland, the music has an amazing toughness about it. The whole album is pretty incredible but the title track and a blues ("7th D" are the stand out tracks. "How's never" is practically a rock riff played over a vamp with DeJohnette's drumming culminating in such a thunderous solo than Manfred Eicher must have had kittens when he heard the play back.

I liked Holland's quintet with the sax, vibes and trombone. It recalls Jackie McLean's line up on the old Blue Notes and is one of the best examples I can think off of how the post-bop tradition remains relevant. Chris Potter is a strange player as I am always impressed whenever he turns up on records but I don't think he has a strong identity. In my opinion, I don't find him recognisable and this is probably because he spreads himself across so many instruments. That sad, I don't recall ever being less than staggered by the records he has turned up on.

The amazing thing about the DH quintet is how it morphed in to a big band and remained able to retain the same character. I heard this big band about ten years ago and it was excellent.

The last time I saw Dave Holland perform live was on a bass guitar when he was on Herbie's "Rivers of possibilities" tour. This was hugely unforgettable though and everyone who caught the band at the concert I went to came away very disappointed. Oddly for Hancock, the band wasn't as focussed and was a bit ragged, the featured singers also prompting comments about the wine in the hospitality being readily consumed. Irrespective of the reasoning, the magic you expect from a HH gig was missing and DH on bass guitar just sounded ordinary. He should have left the instrument in his attic and never dusted it off.

[burning dog]

Gateway

Conference of the Birds

Contrasts (Sam Rivers)