Photos by Don Berryman
I haven't been able to keep up with the writing OR the music so well this summer, unfortunately.  We haven't been to many shows, but we did see The Minders and The Sunshine Fix (with Saturday Looks Good To Me), and Monday night (wait- it's now the end of October?!?) caught the second set of the Dave Holland Quintet at the lovely, smoke-free Dakota, one of the only local bars where you can get a good Manhattan.

I don't know much about Dave Holland, other than that he played bass on a couple of Miles Davis CDs I own, but I've heard very good things about his touring unit, and I'm always attracted to live jazz with a vibraphone player. They kept us waiting for nearly 45 minutes, which was kind of a drag since our surroundings were less than genial.  We were seated at a two-person table that was squished together with an identical table, sitting at which was a couple who apparently asked our server to scoot us over some two and a half measly inches away from them.  I wouldn't have even cared (I didn't want to sit next to strangers) but the woman said "it's nothing personal," which just drew attention to the pointless, awkwardness of it all.  I exclaimed "it's like we're in a whole new world!" but I don't think they noticed.  Following this was a stinky, steaming pile of french fries which did not add to the ambience, and a server who asked to see my I.D. but ignored that of my female companion.  I'm not one for traditional gender roles, but c'mon -- either card both of us or neither of us, but don't act like the woman at the table is too old!

Anyway, minor quibbles aside, once the DHQ hit the stage we were in for a night of great, hard-driving jazz.  My line of sight had me watching the highly entertaining drummer, Nate Smith, for most of the evening.  I tend to be disappointed by younger jazz players because they are unavoidably influenced by rock music in a way which leads one to believe, sadly, that traditional jazz drumming is a lost art.  Smith, however, lets his rock and hip-hop influences creep into the music in a fascinating, completely seamless way.  He was an outstanding player, constantly attuned to the nuances of the group, leading and following in equal measure, exuberant and fun to watch.  He very much sets the tone for the band, who were full of energy and enthusiasm, bursting to the point of near-chaos, but always keeping it just controlled enough to be listenable and engaging.  Great, great stuff.

Mr. Holland himself didn't solo too much, but had a gorgeous tone when he did.  I don't know if Ornette Coleman has already coined the term "rhythmelodic," but that would be an apt description of Holland's playing style: lovely but still bumpin'.  Robin Eubanks, a name in his own right, was a great player, even though I'm prejudiced against the trombone.  Not even J.J. Johnson has been able to inspire any excitement for this instrument in me, it just seems too colorless and limited.  The trombone was a good idea that nonetheless fails to please, especially when compared to, for example, Chris Potter's sax playing, which was smooth one moment, squawking like a trumpet the next.  Potter was definitely the star soloist of the show, totally on fire throughout. Not to say he was a better musician than Eubanks, but his style, coupled with his choice of instruments, stole the show for me (even when things got dangerously close to '70s cop-show music, which happened a couple of times).

Vibraphonist Steve Nelson was the weakest link, crouched like a tiger over his vibes and marimba, he spent too much time cranking out big, unresolved chords that didn't seem to go anywhere.  He let it rip once or twice, enough to elicit a minor eyebrow wiggle, but I don't think he has as good a feel for the group sound as the other four did, at least he didn't that night.

I don't think I've ever seen a jazz group play all originals, and play them so convincingly (tunes included "Points of View," "Vortex," "Full Circle" and "Free For All").  Almost everything was composed by Holland (clearly one of his major strengths) or Robin Eubanks, and they've definitely sparked enough interest that I'll look into their recordings.  I almost never buy contemporary jazz albums, so that's no small accomplishment on their part.  Excellent show overall, and further proof that I should get out more often.