For more than 40 years, British-born bassist Dave Holland has been bringing his distinctive sound and outlook to ensembles of various sizes, both as a leader and a sideman.
And he has enjoyed his share of success in that time. “What Goes Around,” credited to the Dave Holland Big Band, won the 2003 Grammy for Best Large Ensemble Jazz Album. His current, smaller ensemble, the Overtone Quartet, has rightly won raves for the chemistry that exists among Holland, Chris Potter (saxophone), Jason Moran (piano) and Eric Harland (drums).
For his part, Holland appreciates the strengths of both formats.
"The music is completely connected, of course," he told me in an interview a few years back. "The small group offers a lot more collaboration and freedom in a lot of ways. You have a lot more intensity in the project."
Northern California audiences have the opportunity to experience that intensity twice next week as the Overtone Quartet performs February 24 at San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts and February 25 at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center. The former concert comes courtesy of the SFJAZZ spring season.
Holland was raised in Wolverhampton, a gritty industrial city in the heart of England's steel belt. His first instrument was ukulele, from which he progressed to guitar and bass. Like many another British teen in the 1950s, he fervently embraced rock 'n' roll upon its arrival.
"I started playing with a group of young people when I was 13," Holland said. "I turned professional when I was 15 and I played dance halls, this on bass guitar."
Early rock, while appealing directly to his teenage emotions, did little to engage Holland's intellect. It was only when he discovered jazz that Holland found an art that fulfilled all his needs.
"To me, at its best, that's what art should do, perform both the emotional and intellectual function," he said.
Holland traded his bass guitar for an acoustic model and at 17 moved to London. He began playing jazz in restaurants while studying with James E. Merritt, principal bassist of the London Philharmonic.
Holland was soon a regular at Ronnie Scott's famed jazz club, where he jammed with contemporaries such as John McLaughlin and played with such visiting American luminaries as Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Joe Henderson.
It was at Ronnie Scott's that Holland met Miles Davis. In 1968, the trumpeter invited him to move to America and join his band. Holland agreed, and played with Davis on such seminal fusion albums as "Filles de Kilimanjaro," "In a Silent Way," "Bitches Brew" and "Live/Evil."
As a leader, Davis emphasized independence above all, Holland said. "He was always encouraging the musicians to find their own solutions."
Speak to Holland at length about Davis, and the portrait that emerges is markedly different from the trumpeter's glowering public image.
"The first impression you had was of a quiet and shy and a reticent sort of individual," Holland said. "He would play his part and then move aside and listen to the other musicians in the band. In that sense, he had great humility ... generosity would be a better word."
The image of the edgy Davis arose not from his stage presence but from his encounters with the public.
"You have to find a way to protect yourself in a certain way from people who are constantly demanding your time," Holland said. "They just wanted more of Miles' attention. They wanted a chance to go and tell their friends they talked to Miles Davis."
Since his tenure with Davis, Holland has pursued a career that has combined high-profile group collaborations with Chick Corea and John Abercrombie with sessions with everyone from Stan Getz and Thelonious Monk to Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny. Holland has also taught at the New England Conservatory and the Berklee School of Music.
Through it all, Holland has stuck to the goal of surrounding himself with the most creative musicians available, whether live or in the studio.
"I want to be surprised by what people do, I don't want to work with people who need to be told what to do," he said. "I want people to show me what they've got.
"I write the music, and I give some direction in that sense," Holland added. "But I'm so fortunate to have people in both the big band and the smaller group who are really creative players. I'm interested to see what people can come up with."
Want to keep up with the best in Bay Area jazz?
Subscribe to us: Have our jazz Examiner columns sent to your inbox. Click SUBSCRIBE TO EMAIL button on this page. It's free. (And we won't spam you or give out your information.)
Bookmark us: http://www.examiner.com/x-12458-Oakland-Jazz-Music-Examiner
Make us your home page, add us as a Favorite Examiner (see above), take us mobile at www.examiner.com/mobile.html
Comments