Bass Player: Dave Holland

Another transcription from the 1985 Dave Holland Quintet album, ‘Seeds Of Time’. This tune is a simple duet between Holland and percussionist Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith. Smith is playing a weird combination of woodblocks and bell like percussion (cow bells/agogos?). The main bass part is a one bar riff of rapidly executed sixteenth notes, each phrase ending with two eighth notes. There is a solo section for Smith which is underpinned by a different one bar riff based on Holland’s harmonics. Bilbo describes Holland’s approach on this as ‘implied repetition’ in that the riff feels ‘the same’ all the way through but almost every bar is different in some subtle way.

It is also noted that these three Quintet albums, ‘Jumpin’ In’, ‘Seeds Of Time’ and ‘The Razor’s Edge’ contain some fairly radical ideas that reflect and era of creativity that is often denied by Jazz historians. Jazz in the 80s was considered to be lacking in the vitality of previous eras. These albums refute that narrative.