Five decades into his career as one of the most acclaimed bassists in modern jazz, Dave Holland found a compromise between his riveting quintet and symphonic big band, adding to the core ensemble (Chris Potter, Steve Nelson, Robin Eubanks, Nate Smith) a fierce line of horns from his Big Band, with Antonio Hart (alto sax and flute), Gary Smulyan (bari sax) and Alex Sipiagin (trumpet and flugelhorn).  

Pathways, recorded live at Birdland and released this spring on Holland’s Dare2 Records label, provides the Dave Holland Octet’s 75-minute recording debut, which Holland notes is intended to recall the both the intimacy and bigger sound of the Ellington groups. Although he evokes Schneider more than Ellington, the compromise is effective, with the firepower of big band horns and the more subtle elegance of chamber jazz. Holland penned five of the seven tracks; only the title track is new for this recording, while the other four are reconsiderations from his past releases. Sipiagin revisits his “Wind Dance” and Potter contributes “Sea of Mamara.” With all but one track exceeding nine minutes, there is plenty of room for each of these master soloists to stretch and explore. 

The title track launches the disk with a Gillespian, “Night in Tunisia” foundation for Smulyan’s virtuosic bari sax. The bari is front and center again on Holland’s “Blue Jean,” Smulyan throwing in licks from “The Shadow of Your Smile” while Nelson’s marimba adds a hollow-toned elegance amidst Sipiagin’s soft touches of flugelhorn. The bassist’s “How’s Never” begins with a darkly probing, hop-scotching solo, Smith coming in with a light percussive background two minutes in. Another minute goes by before vibes, then horns join to create a line of restrained energy with funky (Hart-felt!), Latinized colors. Smith’s solo simply explodes. 

Chris Potter’s “Sea of Mamara” is one of the melodic high points of Pathways, the composer soaring on soprano like a wild bird skimming above a Schneider-esque sea, the percussion particularly vibrant and Nelson providing an exquisite vibes interlude. The suggestion of water continues with Holland’s re-arrangement of his “Ebb and Flow,” the ensemble transformed into a fiesta band. Trombonist Eubanks gets the first solo call which he navigates nimbly, double-timing over Holland with a fast-paced assault against the horn harmonies and Smith’s punchy beats, softened by Nelson’s subtle lines. A long bass solo adds mystery midway, and there’s more flow than ebb as the octet pushes to full throttle. 

Two “dances” close the set: “Wind Dance” showcases Sipiagin as both trumpeter and composer, the higher horns bursting into a vampish passage before Eubanks takes control. The longest and final track, Holland’s “Shadow Dance,” again features Nelson on marimba, adding an earthiness to the merger of horns, a gradual building of suspense culminating in Hart’s twisting, searing alto before the full ensemble settles in for a big-band sonic boom. 

Pathways conjures the deft orchestrations of Ellington, Mingus, and Schneider while remaining pure Holland.  

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