Hitting the low notes

Bassist Dave Holland's jazz quintet continues with a 'freer spirit'

He could, but he won't. When reached on a tour stop in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the day before his Oct. 1 birthday, and asked whether he had anything special planned, the bassist replied, "Yeah, I'm going to play a concert with the band."

"The band" in question is his quintet -- arguably the best working group in jazz. Every member is a redoubtable talent and a solo artist in his own right; to have kept these musicians together since 1997 with only one change in personnel is itself a testament to Holland's stature in the jazz world.

The quintet's new studio recording, Critical Mass, shares some of its predecessors' characteristics -- intricate compositions with odd-meter grooves, contrapuntal arrangements and exploratory solos -- but it also demonstrates a fiery intensity previously found only during the quintet's exhilarating live performances. Holland, along with saxist Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and new drummer Nate Smith, have discovered a way of harnessing the energy from their concerts and using it in the studio -- always a difficult thing in jazz.

"I think our band has got a freer spirit," says Holland. "I see it as an evolving event. We're trying to express many aspects of the music -- both intense energy and the more gentle sides of our nature."

Holland indeed seems gentle. He's the archetype of the bassist as the "glue" that holds a band together, both musically and personally. He emphasizes the importance of having "good friends" as well as great musicians in his bands, and making his career a family affair: His daughter, Louise, co-produces his albums and manages his tours, while the name of his new record label, Dare2, combines his first name with that of his wife, Clare.

After more than 30 years recording for the famed German label ECM, ownership of master tapes became an issue and Holland created Dare2 to release last year's Grammy-winning Overtime. As Holland's popularity grew with each of his quintet's tours and albums, the bassist found he could afford to go it on his own. Dare2 will, among other things, pursue digital distribution, which has yet to revolutionize the jazz world as it has pop, but will allow the bassist to get around the format of what he considers "overpriced" CDs.

He plans to issue live performances from his Web site (www.daveholland.com), including concerts by a new sextet and a duo featuring percussionist Trilok Gurtu. And while longevity is key to developing a formidable jazz band like his quintet, the native Englishman maintains his youthful outlook by keeping himself open to musical chemistry wherever it may occur.

After all, Holland was famously "discovered" by Miles Davis in 1968 in Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London; he himself discovered drummer Nate Smith in 2000 while teaching at the Commonwealth University of Virginia in Richmond.

"Nate was in one of the ensembles," he recalls. "We played some of my music, and he caught my attention with his enthusiasm, the energy that he brought and his skill.

"We often lament the changing scene and the fact that there are not the same opportunities that [there once were], but young players should always be prepared. Amongst myself and my friends in the musical community, there's often talk about, 'Who should we call?' If somebody's made their presence felt in the music, they get noticed."

And if a player does get noticed by Holland, he'll be tapping into a well of resources that goes from Miles Davis' seminal electric record Bitches Brew to wild acoustic free jazz with Chick Corea -- but maintaining the influence of old-school vets such as Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Holland doesn't need to offer a retrospective: The history of his career, and of his instrument, is there in his playing, at once stylistically versatile and grounded. Unlike many of his colleagues, Holland doesn't venture often into the high register of his double-bass for his solos, preferring the physically more demanding, and sonically foundational, lower end.

"In the '60s," he recalls, the higher register "intrigued many bass players and became open for exploration -- it was quite unique. ... I hear the instrument as a bass. In its natural register, it has great emotional impact, and great power. I love that sound."

-Mike Doherty