DAVE HOLLAND BIG BAND - What Goes Around (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As he gained more and more respect and critical recognition in the early years of the 21st century, Dave Holland took a leap and expanded his music outward into a big band format. The word "expanded" is key here, for what Holland has mostly done on What Goes Around is send his quintet format through an expansion process, where there are more pieces in the puzzle, yet the same overall conception of sound remains. All but one of the pieces here are rewrites of earlier, previously recorded selections, dating from 1983 all the way to 2000. All of the charts are composed with a sureness and a grounding in tradition that belies the fact that this is Holland's first big band album. And all maintain the same intelligence in conception, spareness of texture, and crystalline detail, as Holland's small-group recordings for ECM, despite the obvious harmonic elaborations. For example, in "What Goes Around" -- which appeared on Holland's previous album, Not For Nothin' -- the ostinato-driven horizontal structure is basically the same, allowing for some fills by the ensemble, and despite the additional harmonic content, the vertical texture is similar, too. The main difference is that there is more urgency and more tension in the music now, which is most apparent in "The Razor's Edge," "Shadow Dance," and the only new composition, "Upswing." The Dave Holland Big Band includes tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks , vibraphonist Steve Nelson, and drummer Billy Kilson return to form the core of this big band -- as does flute/alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, who toured with Holland's group after these tracks were cut. These and several other players in the big band get plenty of room to solo -- and they do so with taste and occasional fire. This CD marks the addition of another fine big band to the ranks, though it does more for the evolution of Holland's music than for the big band idiom itself. by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist :
1    Triple Dance 9:50
Soloist – Chris Potter, Gary Smulyan, Robin Eubanks
2    Blues For C.M. 9:01
Soloist – Antonio Hart, Dave Holland, Steve Nelson
3    The Razor's Edge 6:15
Soloist – Duane Eubanks, Josh Roseman, Steve Nelson
4    What Goes Around 17:18
Soloist – Billy Kilson, Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks
5    Upswing 6:51
Soloist – Alex Sipiagin, Gary Smulyan
6    First Snow 11:48
Soloist – Alex Sipiagin, Andre Hayward, Mark Gross
7    Shadow Dance 14:43
Soloist – Billy Kilson, Chris Potter, Dave Holland
Soloist, Flute, Alto Saxophone – Antonio Hart
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Mark Gross
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Antonio Hart
Baritone Saxophone – Gary Smulyan
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Drums – Billy Kilson
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter
Trombone – Andre Hayward, Josh Roseman, Robin Eubanks
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Alex Sipiagin, Duane Eubanks, Earl Gardner
Vibraphone – Steve Nelson

DAVE HOLLAND BIG BAND - Overtime (2005) APE (image+.cue), lossless

This exceptional date by Dave Holland Big Band was recorded in 2002 in New York, yet remained unreleased until 2005. As is to be expected, Holland assembled a fine cast of seasoned and young players, some of whom are veterans of Holland's quintets and quartets. These are four saxophones -- two alto, tenor and baritone -- three trumpets and trombones, and vibes as well as bass and drums. They include Chris Potter and Robin and Duane Eubanks, Antonio Hart, Steve Nelson, Josh Roseman, Billy Kilson, Taylor Haskins, Gary Smulyan, Jonathan Arons and Alex Sipiagin. The music centers around the opening four-part "Monterey Suite," a tour de force commissioned by the Monterey Jazz Festival and originally performed there in 2001. Holland's writing for the trombone section is dynamite. Roseman, Arons, and Robin Eubanks offer up solid bottom rung lines and tight timing as anchors for the rest of the brass though they often charge out front. Potter once more displays his talents as not only a fine soloist but as an excellent ensemble player, carrying the chair with authority and verve. The beautiful "Ario" hosts some really knotty and swelling harmonic interludes and the closer, "Last Minute Man," is electrifying, transcending the confines of the studio. This is an essential Holland date, it is exciting, colorful and wildly innovative. Let's hope he composes and records more in this idiom soon.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Bring It On 11:58
Dave Holland
2     Free for All 17:37
Dave Holland
3     A Time Remembered 11:45
Dave Holland
4     Happy Jammy 9:36
Dave Holland
5     Ario 11:08
Dave Holland
6     Mental Images 9:22
Robin Eubanks
7     Last Minute Man 7:13
Dave Holland
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Mark Gross
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute – Antonio Hart
Arranged By, Double Bass – Dave Holland
Artwork [Cover Art] – Niklaus Troxler
Baritone Saxophone – Gary Smulyan
Double Bass, Producer – Dave Holland
Drums – Billy Kilson
Tenor Saxophone – Chris Potter
Trombone – Jonathan Arons, Josh Roseman, Robin Eubanks
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin, Duane Eubanks, Taylor Haskins
Vibraphone, Marimba – Steve Nelson 

DAVE HOLLAND OCTET - Pathways (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With five A-list horn players -- Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones, Antonio Hart on alto sax and flute, Gary Smulyan on baritone sax, Alex Sipiagin on trumpet and flügelhorn, and Robin Eubanks on trombone -- on board, and anchoring supplied by Dave Holland's bass, Nate Smith's drums, and Steve Nelson's marimba and vibes, there's a lot of swing residing within these grooves. There is also empathy to spare. Pathways, recorded live at New York's Birdland and the first release by the Holland Octet, is tightly woven, devoid of bloat, and constantly in motion. Holland, in his multi-decade career, has worked within every conceivable format, and he smartly positions the octet precisely where it should be by definition, midway between the standard small-group configuration and the all-bases-covered grandness of a big band. The arrangements often seem larger than life while simultaneously feeling succinct, and every solo -- not the least of which are Holland's own masterful excursions -- is carefully considered and masterfully executed. The album's seven tracks are all written by bandmembers -- five by Holland, one each by Sipiagin and Potter -- and two of Holland's, "Shadow Dance" and "How's Never?" (both of which he's recorded before), are the longest of the show, allowing for multiple shifts in mood, tempo, and color. Holland uses those pieces, in particular, as launching pads for dynamic solo exhibits and inspired duets, but in the end it's not the dexterity of the individuals that impresses most, but rather the groupthink of the ensemble. by Jeff Tamarkin  
Tracklist :
1     Pathways 10:46
Dave Holland
2     How's Never? 13:03
Dave Holland
3     Sea of Marmara 9:03
Chris Potter
4     Ebb and Flow 10:48
Dave Holland
5     Blue Jean 7:28
Dave Holland
6     Wind Dance 9:10
Alex Sipiagin
7     Shadow Dance 15:06
Dave Holland
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Antonio Hart
Baritone Saxophone – Gary Smulyan
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Drums – Nate Smith
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Chris Potter
Trombone – Robin Eubanks
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Alex Sipiagin
Vibraphone, Marimba – Steve Nelson