Customer Reviews

Critical Mass

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dave Holland Quintet is among the best jazz outfits ever assembled, and Critical Mass tops anything they've achieved before.

A typical jazz quintet save for Steve Nelson on vibes instead of the usual pianist, that substitution makes all the difference in the world, giving this group a kind of airy, open sensibility freeing the players for both smart ensemble interaction, but also creating a kind of loosey-goosey, free-wheeling vibe that seems to encourage and bring out their best solo efforts, notably exemplified by Nelson's stunning work on the bloozy "Easy Did It."

I've never been a huge fan of Chris Potter on sax; his tone has always struck me as slightly grating. But here he plays with, strangely, both more control and more animation than I've ever heard from him before--and with a slightly mellowed tone that is beginning to win me over. And it must be admitted, whatever one thinks of his tone, that he masterfully constructs solos of admirable power and architecture. Check out his extended chorus on "Vicissitudes" to see what I mean. Kevin Eubanks on trombone makes a perfect front-line partner. Their uncanny interplay on "Vicissitudes," the second strongest of eight very strong pieces, is worth the price of admission. With Steve Turre, Eubanks ranks at the very top of current jazz trombonists. Listen to his snaky solo statement on "Leak" for a taste of his vast abilities. Newcomer Nate Smith on drums fits in perfectly. Exhibiting huge chops lightly worn, he cooks up some very tasty percussive moves in tandem with leader Holland on (again) "Vicissitudes." With other young monsters Eric Harland, Terreon Gulley, and Ari Hoenig, he insures the future of jazz drumming will be in very good hands for decades to come. Vibes player Nelson sounds very energized, spinning off challenging yet very attractive solo statements ("Easy Did It" and "Leak") and comping like a madman. He must now be considered one of the very top jazz vibraphonists alive.

Leader Holland, besides putting this group together, writing half the tunes, and establishing a rock-solid foundation on his instrument, is the absolute master of the engaging bass solo, something almost never pulled off. Somehow he manages to combine virtuosity with impeccable tone and a kind of lilting joyousness where other bassists often go for a more ponderous approach. That he does it primarily in the lower to middle registers of his instrument makes it all the more brilliant. I think he also picks the right vehicles for soloing--the lighter Latin-jazz pieces, although he's not limited to those.

The tunes are all incredibly strong and cover the jazz waterfront. My favorite is a bit of world-jazz exotica, "Secret Garden," with its mysterious Middle Eastern vibe which elicits some very fine group interaction and a stunningly delicate yet sinuous solo from Chris Potter, attractively undergirt by Nelson's vibes, Smith's Kasbah percussion, and some poignant bass stylings from Holland.

I came to this disc with great expectations, and it has, remarkably, exceeded them. Highest recommendation.

The Dave Holland Quintet, in this version, has been together for what I believe is almost ten years (with the substitution of Nate Smith for Billy Kilson). The history, respect, support and love shows through here.

I am a big fan of each of these musicians as individuals, and as composers. As members of this group, they are selfless, which is almost remarkable. But considering how deeply musical they all are, I guess that is not surprising.

Having seen this band live many times, I can only add that when you have heard one virtually unbelievable solo, and think things can't get any better, you are wrong. Five geniuses, in a working band, is something that occurs rarely. Think of Miles with Wayne Shorter, or Blakey's combos, or the Benny Goodman Quartet.

If you dig this music, you must have this cd!!

Critical Mass is the first studio album in four years from what has become the premier working group in modern jazz, the Dave Holland Quintet. After a few early changes, the band's personnel has stabilized with Holland on bass, Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Steve Nelson on vibraphone and marimba, and Nate Smith on drums. The album begins with "The Eyes Have It," featuring the group's always wonderful near-telepathic interplay and a strong and confident tenor saxophone solo from Chris Potter. "Easy Did It" is one of the discs highlights, starting with a mellow beginning and then building in tempo and intensity with some nice trombone soloing over vibes and drums, moving to an extremely hip vibraphone and drums duet before ending with an intense collective improvisation with Pottter on soprano saxophone anchored by some amazing drumming from Nate Smith.

"Vicissitudes" has some more impressive soloing from Chris Potter and a cool sounding vibes solo from Steve Nelson, and a funky drum and bass interlude. "Sacred Garden" takes on a Middle Eastern flavor, an area the group has explored successfully before. "Lucky 7" has a nice stuttering theme breaking out into a strong trombone solo. The most revelatory aspect of this album is the drumming of Nate Smith who is really becoming a star with his complex, yet funky drumming on this record. Combined with the shimmering and percussive quality of Nelson's vibes and marimba, the band becomes a rhythmic powerhouse. For the twenty-first century, this band has been the state of the art in modern mainstream jazz and proof that working groups make the most coherent records. This is yet another feather in their cap.

"Critical Mass" is superb melodically, harmonically, and rhythmically. Holland and the other members of his quintet are clearly masters of their instruments, each capable of stepping forward to make fresh statements but also willing to support one another completely. While the band clearly has learned from all that's preceded them, from New Orleans to New York and beyond, you'll hear no cliches. Rather, you'll enjoy listening in on innovative musical conversations between five players with lots of good ideas and the tools to share them. If you ever get a chance to hear this group live, don't pass it up. Watching Holland and his all-stars at work is the musical equivalent of having front row seats at an NBA finals game where teamwork rules and most of the shots are nothing but net.

The first new Dave Holland Quintet album in over three years, Critical Mass is steeped both in the jazz tradition and in the ideal of the "working band", an ensemble that performs and records together regularly. Each of the five musicians has contributed their own composition to this toe-tapping, flawlessly recorded album of vibrancy, memories, and tribute. The songs include The Eyes have It (7:00), Easy Did It (11:16), Vicissitudes (9:56), The Leak (5:42), Secret Garden (8:42), Lucky Seven (8:35), Full Circle (12:11) and Amator Silenti (9:17)

It takes extraordinary musicians to make a jazz group without piano sound full, but it's no problem for the Dave Holland quintet. Steve Nelson's chordal vibe work fills in the harmonies and I don't even notice the absence of keys. In fact, it's details like this, and the feeling that this is a live recording, that makes this disc stand out. The complementary interplay of Chris Potter (sax), and Robin Eubanks (trombone) is tight; a sort of telepathic bond signals them when to back off, step up, or play in unison. Nate Smith has some vast rock influenced drum chops that remind me at times of Manu Katche, and Dave Holland's bass playing, as usual, is spot on, and tastefully anchors the rhythm. The songwriting on "Critical Mass" includes compositions from all band members, that range from upbeat - "The Eyes Have It", "Vicissitudes" and "Lucky Seven", the blues tinged "Easy Did It", or "Amator Silenti" that begins mellow but blasts unexpectedly into a spurt of free jazz.

I would have given this 4 1/2 stars if I could. Although, I find it difficult to give it five (call me picky)...I'll explain later. However, this isn't one that should be passed up by any means. This is one of the finest groups of musicians on the planet today in my opinion who didn't get all of their best recording awards for nothing. There is interplay and syncopation on all of Dave's recordings that is absolutely world-class like no other. DHQ, to me, always feels like big band music with an added groove all of their own. They know when to stay in line, when to get crazy, when to lay it down, and when to break into something completely unexpected. However, most of the time when I buy a cd, there are a few tracks that stick out right from the get-go...Prime Directive, Not for Nothin', and The Razor's Edge all had that. For me, this CD didn't have as much of that and didn't breathe as well as the previous recordings...hence the picky "4 1/2" stars, comparing it ONLY to Dave's previous works. Nevertheless, this CD is definately worthy of the DHQ fan and should not be passed up by any means. These guys are intensely serious about thier music and move the standard up with each release. I learn something new every time I listen to this group of overly talented musicians. Another job well done by a band that continues to amaze me with their tenacity.

Following up on his 2005 Grammy win for Overtime, Dave Holland returns with all of the original members as well as new member Nate Smith (drums). The album includes 4 new Holland compositions as well as one from each of the band members.

Critical Mass sounds like an album made by a group of worldclass musicians that have performed together for nearly a decade. Great tunes and interplay that borders on musical telepathy.

Sure, there are moments that feel excessively adventurous in the shallowest manner, but those few are fleeting next to one of forward-thinking jazz's most consistent (and humble) leaders.

Again a beautifully recorded piece by Dave Holland. Also it does not really follow the typical ECM sound as we know it while still sounding perfect. Indeed, this music is more alive than their regular pieces.