Dave Holland – Bass

There was a series of Dave Holland Quintet albums in the 1980s that came out on the ECM record label which featured Steve Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, Robin Eubanks and Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith. For this was one of those bands that was greater than the sum of it’s parts and it is all credit to Holland for making the choices that created this incredible ensemble. There are some great tunes on these records but his was the one that got me listening to this band. It just made sense, in spite of the tension that is created by Holland’ compositional choices. It a essentially a 12-bar blues that is dedicated to the late Charles Mingus and, like Mingus, Holland is taking compositional chances that stray from the conventional blues form to create something more edgy. The bass part has a lot of Holland signature licks and is a great example of what makes his playing so recognisable.

The tune is ‘Blues For C.M.’ from the 1987 Dave Holland Quintet ‘The Razor’s Edge’. For the record, the part starts with the lead into the tune and does not feature the solo that precedes the main theme. The part starts at the 1:31 point.