Artist: Dave Holland
Genre(s):
Jazz
Avantgarde
Discography:
Triplicate
Year: 2000
Tracks: 9
Emerald Tears
Year: 2000
Tracks: 8
Dave Holland is of a generation of bassists wHO, in the '60s and '70s, built upon the innovations of somewhat old players like Scott LaFaro, Gary Peacock, and Barre Phillips, carrying the instrument to yet another new level of creativity. Along with coevals like Eddie Gómez, Miroslav Vitous, and Barry Guy, Holland helped refine and stretch out the melodic possibilities of the cumbersome dual bass. In Holland's case, those refinements ne'er bemused touch with the sum verities of straight-ahead wind; Holland's signified of swing is unexceeded. Additionally, Holland is possibly the nigh accomplished pure jazz composer among bassists, subsequently Charles Mingus. Holland's small-scale groups in the '80s and '90s, piece working hard inside the wind parlance, presented a fresh alternative to the standpat re-creations of the neo-boppers.
Netherlands started playing uke at the age of four, switch to guitar at ten and bass guitar at 13. He took some pianoforte lessons as a child, simply was at low gear by and large self-taught, learning from bolt down music songbooks and by hearing to the radio. He played in dance bands with friends. As a stripling he decided to strain to make a living as a musician. Under the influence of such jazz bassists as Leroy Vinnegar and Ray Brown, Holland took up the double bass, learnedness principally by playacting along with records. He began playing professionally soon thereafter. One of his first gigs was in a big band that toured behind the singer Johnny Ray. Holland studied with James E. Merritt, the dealer bassist with the London Philharmonic, wHO recommended him to the degree course of study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
At Guildhall, Holland gained know in a variety of styles, from orchestral music to New Orleans jazz to bebop and beyond. In 1966, he began playing with many of the musicians with whom he would collaborate over the next deuce decades -- musicians like herald Kenny Wheeler, saxist John Surman, and piano player John Taylor wHO were well in air with jazz innovations of the time. Holland acknowledges being influenced by Mingus, LaFaro, Jimmy Garrison, and Gary Peacock at this pointedness in his calling. Holland also became interested in many twentieth hundred classical composers, particularly Béla Bartók. Holland played London clubs with England's top jazz musicians, as well as visiting dignitaries like Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, and Joe Henderson. In July of 1968, Miles Davis heard him at Ronnie Scott's and asked him to bring together his band.
Netherlands promptly relocated to New York and participated in the making of several authoritative Davis recordings, including In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. In 1970, he co-founded (with Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea, and Barry Altschul) the mathematical group Circle, which embraced free jazz concepts. In the early '70s, he played with Stan Getz, Thelonious Monk, and Sam Rivers. In 1975, he formed the Gateway Trio -- with Jack DeJohnette (drums) and John Abercrombie (guitar) -- a mathematical group that would continue to record book and duty tour intermittently for the adjacent 25 long time. In the early '80s, Holland worked extensively with Sam Rivers and organised his have band, a quint with Wheeler, Julian Priester (trombone), Steve Coleman (alto adolphe Sax), and Steve Ellington (drums). Thereafter, Holland-led modest groups would uphold to spell and record through the end of the 100. Later members would include Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums) and Robin Eubanks (trombone). Although the force would vary, the band would at long last drag their identity element from Holland's compositions.
In the '80s and '90s, Holland worked as an pedagogue, heading the summer jazz workshop at the Banff School in Banff, Alberta, Canada, from 1983 until 1990. From 1987 until 1990 he was a mental faculty extremity at the New England Conservatory of Music. Aside from prima his own chemical group, Holland's musical activities in the '90s included projects with DeJohnette, Gateway, and Herbie Hancock. He too recorded with Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, and Jim Hall. Holland's late-'90s quartette included Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson (vibraharp), Chris Potter (sax), and Billy Kilson (drums). The sunup of the 21st hundred brought more releases, including Not for Nothin' in 2001, What Goes Around in 2002, and Extended Play: Live at Birdland in 2003, all on ECM. Overtime came out in 2005, followed by Critical Mass in 2006, both on Sunnyside.
