On their third release, "Not for Nothin'," The Dave Holland Quintet picks up exactly where last year's "Prime Directive" left off -- with more compelling modern jazz.
Building on the best of both the free and traditional forms of the genre, the quintet explores the different ways a jazz ensemble can sound without ever sacrificing the group feel of the music.
The quintet is "fronted" by Robin Eubanks on trombone and Chris Potter on sax, both of whom have recently recorded excellent works on their own. They create pleasingly complex dynamics by adding simultaneous soloing and tricky rhythms to the catchy melodic lines. Steve Nelson on vibraphone shifts easily between harmonic chording and single-note solos. Billy Kilson on drums keeps the rhythms varied yet comfortable. Holland, of course, keeps the sound hammered down with some of the best bass fretwork since Charles Mingus.
Indeed, the quintet owes a lot to Mingus in the way it explores the texture of tunes with just the right amount of "looseness." The musicians move beyond the confines of post-bop playing by cleverly subverting the listener's expectation of constant swing and neat lead lines with smooth shifts between a variety of moods. The result is a tension that works on both the upbeat numbers as well as on the slower, lyrical ones.
Since the 1960s, Holland has contributed to several of the most important jazz sessions, including Miles Davis' "Bitches' Brew" and the avant-garde free group Circle with Chick Corea and Anthony Braxton, and to innumerable recordings with everyone from Jim Hall to Gary Burton. But this quintet is where Holland takes charge, pulling these many influences together into a fluid yet satisfyingly whole group sound.