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Toronto Star, Feature >>
Holland's critical mass
Ever the passionate jazzman, with two combos in play: `I try to follow my heart'
Dave Holland may be the dean of the bass, but the British-born, New York-based jazz player and composer, who turned 60 last week, is still breaking new ground.
In recent years, he's debuted a big band, started a record label and, just this summer, took his "first real vacation" in 25 years.
"I just felt it was time to take a step back and slow things down a bit, spend some time with our granddaughter," the married father of three explained by phone from his home in upstate New York.
"I kind of live my life on the run and having a chance to be home consistently for a couple months gave me a chance to catch up on a lot of things that have been waiting for my attention: some of them personal, some of them musical."
Note that his milestone birthday on Oct. 1 was celebrated onstage with his quintet in Sao Paulo. Holland is touring relentlessly again, with both a small and large combo, making records with each, teaching at the New England Conservatory in Boston and managing Dare2 Records with wife Clare.
"Sure, I can't run as fast as I used to, but a lot of playing music is mental. And as long as your mental powers are still developing and keen, I think the body responds to that," said Holland, who performs at The Music Hall on Friday. "I use a lot less effort when I play now than when I was 18 years old, but I get more out of the instrument."
As a callow youth on the London jazz scene, his career took off with a 1968 offer from Miles Davis, who heard him at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.
Replacing bassist Ron Carter, Holland, then 21, toured with the trumpet great for two years and played on his classic recordings In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Holland later worked with Chick Corea, Stan Getz and Thelonious Monk before releasing his first album, The Conference of the Birds, in 1972.
"The method I use is just putting one foot in front of the other, learn from what you did today and make use of that lesson tomorrow," said Holland. "I try to follow my heart as much as I can in terms of what music I want to play.
"I've loved music since I started playing (ukulele) when I was 5 years old. Music's as much a part of my life as breathing. I've kept my passion for it and love for it because I've been able to do the things I want to do. There's certainly been difficult times for my family and I because of that commitment; we've had, at times, to make a lot of financial sacrifices."
As a double bassist, he's celebrated for his technical skills and eloquent tones. His veteran quintet, currently comprised of Chris Potter (sax), Steve Nelson (vibes), Nate Smith (drums) and Robin Eubanks (trombone), is consistently ranked among jazz's best ensembles.
The group's new disc, Critical Mass, showcases their funky brilliance with its Arabic influences and stirring harmonies.
Though each of the sidemen contributes a song, the disc is truly collaborative, said Holland (credited with four tunes).
"We each present a very concrete idea as to what the piece is as a starting point, but we also approach it in the sort of jazz tradition, which is that once the piece is played by the group it takes on its own life, and the individual interpretation of it by each musician is something that only can add to it.
"For instance I may have an idea for the drum part, but Nate is much better equipped to take that starting point, and then embellish it and put his own creative ideas on it."
The group's penchant for tweaking songs in rehearsals and performances before recording them was the impetus for the Critical Mass album title.
"Listening to the playbacks... what struck me first was how much had gone into the recording in terms of discussion ... it occurred to me that the point at which we actually put it on record was a sort of a crucial point: the moment of becoming."
Looking for the phrase to embody that, he took up the dictionary. "And when I looked up the definition (of critical mass), I said, `Oh, all that stuff is relevant.' So I thought it was a very good title. And it's got a kind of edge to it, too, which I like."
-Ashante Infantry 10/11/06
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