DAVE HOLLAND BIG BAND: Zankel Hall, March 10, 2004

·· Taylor Haskins, Trumpet
·· Alex “Sasha” Sipiagin, Trumpet
·· Duane Eubanks, Trumpet
·· Chris Potter, Tenor Saxophone
·· Antonio Hart, Alto Saxophone
·· Mark Gross, Alto Saxophone
·· Gary Smulyan, Baritone
·· Robin Eubanks, Trombone
·· Jon Arns, Trombone
·· Douglas Purviance, Tromone
·· Steve Nelson, Vibraphone and Marimba
·· Dave Holland, Bass
·· Nate Smith, Drums

Holland is legendary, and with good reason, but it's only in the past five years he's been writing and arranging for this big band -- a revelation. The horns are all tightly written, yet played with verve and color, you never got the feeling this format "hemmed" anybody "in." The horns section shifted blends almost as often as the rhythm section shifted meters, and rarely just for virtuoso effect. Sometimes they sounded like nine different players grooving on a surge of feeling; other times they sounded as one, and it would be hard to say which was more exhilerating. Holland himself is capable enough, but here he carried a sprawling ensemble playing with the assurance of a master -- the only thing you could want more of were his cushioned low parts. The cellist I was sitting with was more stunned by his right hand (the rhythm) than his outrageously high-flown left.

Those dazzling meters, by the way, were nothing compared to the way the players lunged across bar lines, teasing and cajoling each other to catch up, get lost, and play fetch; the smiles would burst open and you'd realize you were lost again. As one critic put it: "Don't try and count bars, you'll end up in tears." Or giggles. Halfway through I noticed everybody had charts except Holland, who anchored everything from his head. Even if you're the composer, such steerage is formidable. What a kingsize, generous evening this was. (Look for the "Monterey Suite" played here on a forthcoming ECM disc this fall. Also, see Holland's new compilation, "Rarum," which spans his career, mostly small ensembles.)