Record Reviews

DAVE HOLLAND ~ AZIZA DARE2 009 (Barcode: 634457738324) ~ UK ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2016 This is an album by British bassist / composer / bandleader Dave HollandFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with American musicians: saxophonist Chris PotterFind albums by this artist, guitarist Lionel LouekeFind albums by this artist and drummer Eric HarlandFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, two composed by each member of the quartet, which emphasizes the fact that Holland sees this quartet as an equal partnership between himself and the rest of the quartet members. The album was released on the Dare2Find albums on this label label, owned by Holland. The music is strongly influenced by a variety of World Music influences, both melodically and rhythmically, including African, Latin and others. It is therefore quite unexpected and offers a fresh and unfamiliar facet of three members of the quartet, except for Loueke of course, whose African roots were always strongly present in his music. As such, the album is truly a delightful surprise, and proves again that Holland is definitely one of the most versatile and open-minded musical geniuses, whose extensive recording legacy covers some of the most important moments of modern Jazz in all of its exposures. Overall, this is a delightful and quite unusual album, which offers modern Jazz-World Fusion treated in many different facets and dimensions, perfectly performed by these stellar musicians and surprisingly different from most other recordings by Holland. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 23/06/2025Posted: 23/06/2025

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DAVE HOLLAND ~ UNCHARTED TERRITORIES DARE2 010 (Barcode: 634457860728) ~ UK ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2017 This is a brilliant 2CD album by legendary British Jazz bassist / composer Dave HollandFind albums by this artist released on his own Dare2Find albums on this label label. He invited another British veteran, saxophonist Evan ParkerFind albums by this artist and two much younger American Jazz players, pianist Craig TabornFind albums by this artist and drummer Ches SmithFind albums by this artist to take part in a spontaneous two-day recording session, which resulted in six hours or recorded music, of which twenty-three tracks appearing here were selected. Only three of the tracks were composed, two by Smith and one by Holland, and the rest are spontaneously improvised pieces. As expected, the performances are all stellar, and contrary to the fears and reservations many people might hold against Free Jazz / Improvised Music, the result is completely audible and even likeable by most Jazz listeners, with just a bit of openness and slack / patience require to absorb this complex, but completely coherent music. Both the veterans and the “youngsters” display phenomenal improvising skills, mutual respect and telepathic communication with the other players, which is immediately apparent from the very first notes played. As usual in these circumstances, the four musicians create all possible variations of solo, duo, trio and quartet involvement, which change constantly, and create streams of musical passages, that sound very melodic, even if no solid melody is actually present. Overall, this is brilliant example of what Free Jazz / Improvised Music should sound like, which in reality happens extremely rarely. There is no one moment of cacophony or chaos on this album, in contrast to so many other albums in this genre, and as such it is truly exemplary and outstanding. Even if Improvising Music is not your cup of tea, do yourself a favor and try this one, which should be able to convince anybody of the true nature of the beast. Absolutely not to be missed!

Updated: 09/10/2022Posted: 09/10/2022

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DAVE HOLLAND BIG BAND ~ OVERTIME DARE2 602498271421 (Barcode: 602498271421) ~ UK ~ Big Band Jazz Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 This is the 2nd album by British bassist / composer / bandleader Dave HollandFind albums by this artist and his Big Band, comprising of American musicians, which include saxophonist Chris PotterFind albums by this artist and baritone saxophonist Gary SmulyanFind albums by this artist, trombonist Robin EubanksFind albums by this artist, (Russian born) trumpeter Alex SipiaginFind albums by this artist, vibraphonist Steve NelsonFind albums by this artist, drummer Billy KilsonFind albums by this artist and others, a total of thirteen musicians. The album presents seven tracks, the first four of which are a suite commissioned by the Monterey Jazz festival. The suite and two additional tracks were composed by Holland and one track was composed by Eubanks. The music is absolutely brilliant in every respect and offers a brilliant example of modern Big Band attitude, which although comprising of mostly American musicians, utilizes the typical European Big Band approach, based on strong cooperative work by the Big Band members, which creates a unified specific band sound and concept, rather than a background music featuring soloing. Holland’s bass lines steer the music dominantly and his excellent arrangements beautifully emphasize the melody lines, which, as always, show that he is not only one of the greatest Jazz bass players, but also a sublime composer. Overall, this is a superb piece of Jazz Big Band music in every respect, and one of the very few recordings which truly deserved receiving the Grammy award (for the second time in 2005). For Jazz Big Band connoisseurs this is a delightful album and an instant gratification, no questions asked. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 12/12/2025Posted: 12/12/2025

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DAVE HOLLAND ~ SEEDS OF TIME ECM 1292 (Barcode: 602567430797) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1984 Released: 2019 This is a reissue of an album by iconic British bassist / composer / bandleader Dave HollandFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quintet setting with trumpeter Kenny WheelerFind albums by this artist and three American musicians: saxophonist Steve ColemanFind albums by this artist, trombonist Julian PriesterFind albums by this artist and drummer Marvin SmithFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine tracks, two of which are composed by Holland, one co-composed with Smith, two by Coleman, one by Wheeler, one by Priester and finally two are by American (resident in Austria) drummer / composer Doug HammondFind albums by this artist. This is the 5th album (out of fourteen) Holland released on the ECMFind albums on this label label, before he established his own record label Dare2Find albums on this label. The album was recorded at the legendary Tonstudio Bauer and offers a spectacular sound quality. The music is absolutely spectacular, and is definitely one of Holland’s best recorded achievements, proposing a series of composed, melody based pieces, performed with a lot of space of freedom, bordering on but never quite going into Free Jazz. The quintet offers a rich sound, often sounding larger than usual quintet sound, due to the fact that the three brass players solo in tandem. Of course Holland’s brilliant bass work is a prominent feature throughout the whole proceedings. Overall, this is a brilliant album, which deserves an honorable place in every decent Jazz records collection, and a great document of Holland’s great contribution to the genre. Although recorded four decades ago, it still sounds absolutely fresh and invigorating. A gem!

Updated: 11/10/2025Posted: 11/10/2025

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