Sad to hear that Bill Holman has died. Not a name mentioned too often in this board , Holman struck me as being one of the smarter jazz arrangers to emerge during the 1950s and forged an easily recognised style. He continued working well into the 2000s and became something of an elder statesman for big band jazz. A recent album of Monk tunes was well received although I always felt he was very consistent in his output. Bill Holman was one of those arrangers I grew up listening to , either on records frim 1950s or when played by the BBC Big Band.
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He was a good age - 96. -
It is fascinating how long he managed to work as an arranger and bandleader. He cut his teeth with Stan Kenton before working with the likes of Herman and Basie. I was not appreciative of just how indebted he was towards Gerry Mulligan for his writing concept nor the influence of Bartok. It is interesting to read about his relationship with Kenton who was an admirer whilst Holman was quick to point out the shortcomings of Kenton's orchestra. The names of jazz musicians who worked with Bill Holman is vaste and he was well regarded for his writing , in particular his use of counterpoint. I wonder if he was the most explicitly jazz orientated off all Kenton 's arrangers. I am more familiar with Holmans own bands than Kenton's - the former being more aligned with the West Coast scene . From the 80s onwards, it seemed that he had become one of the defining figures in orchestral jazz. He always attracted top talent. For my money, Bill Holman is one of the most recognisable arrangers post bebop.Comment
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Bill Holman Band playing Monk’s ‘Bemsha Swing’ from the album ‘Hommage’ recorded in 2006:
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