The long awaited debut recording of Dave Holland's Big Band, with a programme of favourite Holland tunes newly orchestrated for large ensemble. At the nucleus of the big band is the multi-award winning Dave Holland Quintet (with Steve Nelson, Robin Eubanks, Chris Potter, and Billy Kilson) Their characteristic sound established a direction for the larger ensemble. Taking his cue from the great examples of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Charles Mingus, Holland has arranged the material to showcase the strengths of the players. Holland: "I wanted the music to be settings for improvisers, and this led me to combine improvisation and written parts. Flexibility has been built into the music."
The great bassist, whose hugely engrossing sound seems to distill the best from his associates, introduced a big band here last year, using his longtime quintet ' Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson, Billy Kilson ' as its nucleus, and adding five brasses and three reeds. Employing generic voicings and counterpoint, he proves himself an incredibly accomplished arranger ' who knew' ' with a taste for contrary melodies that recalls the work of Bill Holman. If you can't make the gig, don't miss the album What Goes Around, one of the year's surprising triumphs. - The Village Voice |