Customer Reviews

Extended Play / Live at Birdland

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jazz of the highest order comes from empathetic communication. Empathetic communication results from technical brilliance subsumed under the auspices of ongoing conversation. This happens optimally only in a continuing group context. The results: music of the highest order--free, swinging, rhythmically challenging, harmonically sophisticated, innovative, multilingual, and just plain beautiful.

Without question, Extended Play provides ample evidence that the Dave Holland Quintet is, simply, the premier jazzband presently on the scene, beating out such standout outfits as the Standards Trio, the Pat Matheny Band, and the Bad Plus. Why?

Personnel. Holland is the premier bassist of his generation. He does it all: composes, produces, anchors, innovates, arranges, leads. And he has surrounded himself with a killer band. Starting with the hugely underrated Steve Nelson on vibes, a player who comes fully into his huge promise in this rarified group setting, Holland has selected players at the absolute top of their respective instruments. Robin Eubanks, an extremely fleet and deft trombonist with a simply gorgeous tone, shines with his glorious colorations and smart soloing. Chris Potter, a glib and nimble saxophonist, solos with uncommon power and presence here. And drummer Billy Kilson simply amazes. Combining uncanny power with uncommon propulsiveness always harnessed and in service to his role as rhythmic ground, he generates hip polyrhythms and a pulse-oriented approach to achieve a rhythmic sophistication that propels the band into daring and unusual places.

Group improvization. This band communicates and interacts as a group at a higher level, with greater ease, and with more original ideas than any other group that comes to mind, save some of Miles's and Coltrane's best bands. These dudes, having played some of this music for more than six years, simply engage in a level of music interaction seldom heard.

Compositional variety and integrity. All the compositions here are group originals, with all but two of the nine from the pen of Dave Holland. Besides a huge variety of styles, the group constantly provides fascinating rhythmic, harmonic, and dynamic contexts to optimally showcase their compositional brilliance, perhaps most fully demonstrated on "Juggler's Parade."

Breadth of expression. This group evokes the entire history of jazz improvization during this session, but without the unseemly slavishness and fawning that too often mars other bands' attempts to reference the Tradition. Perfectly at home with ballads, burners, Latin-tinged numbers, modal music, post-bop, free, and Eastern sensibilities, the band moves in and out of these stylistic universes as if they're the air they breathe.

A certain sense of weight and drama. It's almost as if these guys know that they represent some kind of ne plus ultra expression of contemporary jazz--and they're perfectly willing to take up the mantle, thank you. The sheer chutzpah of their playing, their virtuosity lightly worn, their magnanimity of expression, all contribute to a sense that something beyond the ordinary is going down here.

And it does.

And you shouldn't miss it.

It's likely, if you are reading this review, that you already know how good this group is. This record will increase your admiration. If by some chance you are a music fan and don't know the quintet's work, you will be awed.

I have been listening to Dave Holland in one context or another for 30 years now and I am not sure he has hit his peak yet -- but this record is pretty darn close. You can really tell this is a _group_ - they are just so damn tight. Even during the extended improvisation sections they communicate musically at an amazing level.

You also realize that Holland and the group have been able to do something quite rare -- using everything the group knows. From free to the blues -- it's all there and all swings. This is very joyous music.

The playing is uniformly great. But, special mention must be made of Robin Eubanks. wow. His gorgeous sound and amazing solo creativity really shines here.

Just buy it already!

Dave Holland is on a mission to take Jazz into the upper stratosphere with this new live recording. What else can be said about this group that has not already been said. I'll just add the following: "This is one of the best live Jazz recordings I have heard in years. This group is tightly assembled, yet they are free to explore the full depths of the music. These extended pieces allow plenty of room to develop several magical interactions between the musicians. This is Jazz at its' highest levels." This is another masterful performance from Dave Holland and his Quintet. Jazz is best when experienced live. So close your eyes, turn up the volume, sit back and enjoy this journey. We don't get to travel this way very often.

I have rated this release from Dave Holland Quintet five stars like all the enthusiastic reviewers that wrote before me. In this manner I express clearly my high consideration for this quintet, this music and Dave Holland as an exceptional musician and band leader. I suggest the purchase of this double album because it's great. Nevertheless I want to express my opinion which I don't know how many of you would agree with. I mean .. ok this band is great and this Jazz too, it's a post modern free jazz that personally I find attractive and that interest me. I own almost all Dave's album. But I have to say that I can't hear all that evolution in Dave's music. If you take the music Dave played with his combo in the eighties (Steve Coleman, Robin Eubanks, Kenny Wheeler, Marvin Smitty Smith or with the other band he had with Kevin Eubanks and without Wheeler in the album "Extensions") it was more or less this same stuff. Ok it's great stuff, great Jazz (and I love it, you can be sure) but why all this enthusiasm? It seems as it was the first album with this free Holland stuff around.. Maybe some guys, some reviewers here don't know Dave's previous recordings. I don't know. Dave play this music since 20 years ago, and maybe more. You can go to "Conference of the Birds" and you can find almost this same music. This quintet is more or less on the same level (very high) of the other Holland's quintet or quartet he had in the past. And if I had to express a personal preference even if I really love what Potter played here, I still love Steve Coleman more than him, so I prefer that combo to this one. A lot of people here pointed out the (truly exceptional) drum work from Billy Kilson. He plays great, absolutly, he is really creative drummer, but Marvin Smitty Smith? What about him? Wasn't he spectacular? I don't find Kilson superior to Smith! Smith is probably one of my all time favourite drummers so... I have to say that I prefer two guys from the old DHQ to two elements which are in this band. But these are only personal preferences of course and we're talking about exceptional musicians all the way so .. and I don't want to end my review with something that seem unfair to this band. I simply wanted to say that this album didn't surprised me as it seems happened with some guys here. Dave has always had fantastic bands and musicians and simply this Dave's music has been around since "Conference..". Anyway. This is a fantastic group of musicians with one of the best band leader around (and bassist, don't forget) and they play a sort of free Jazz which is particular, but very very interesting music. I suggest this album to everyone which is into post-bop, free Jazz, maybe together with "Seeds of time", The razor's edge" and "Extensions" still from Dave's catalogue. "What goes around" it has been another fantastic, exceptional release that you can buy with confidence if you'll love "Extended play".

Surely no jazz fan who has seen the Dave Holland Quintet live can honestly deny that they are the best group performing today. And here, in a double album that some manages to be both a sweeping, two hour epic and painfully short, is documentation of the group's unmatched skill, wit, and creativity.

Though by no means revolutionaries, Dave Holland and his quintet have mastered their own distinct brand of post-modern jazz. Just as Holland has marshaled the unique talents of his players into almost telepathically cohesive unity, he and his bandmates have managed to consolidate a disparate array of musical traditions to create a unique, inimitable sound rather than settling for the slick, meaningless pastiche that could have came so easily. In their music one hears strains of latin, post-bop, free jazz, funk, and many other traditions, but who cares? Every note seems to be played for the singular purpose of creating compelling music.

Holland's group is further distinguished by the fact that almost every one of its members is drawn from the elite few at the top of the field of their respective instruments. Even drummer Billy Kilson, the only member who had not attracted substantial notoriety before joining the group, should and will be one of top drummers around in the near future on the virtue of his talent, musical empathy, and skill. Chris Potter manages to combine soulful lyricism with passionate intensity while throwing in the occasional witty and sarcastic lick. Robin Eubanks' unbelievable intensity combined with his remarkable restraint makes him one of the coolest jazzmen to ever pick up a horn; his never-misplaced swagger and self-assurance make every inflection of every note sound like the hippest thing you'll ever hear. Steve Nelson, while sometimes more abstract that his bandmates, can launch himself into sublime flights of fancy that seem to harbor fresh revelations with every listen. Further, Nelson's vibes provide an incredibly tasteful backdrop for the rest of the group. Finally, Holland himself is one of the best bassists around, providing an unpredictable but steady foundation for the band. And Holland, of course, is the one responsible for assembling all this talent together and making it work.

If I sound excessively adulatory, it's only because this band is very, very good, and this album perfectly illustrates their well-honed live act. It's an exploration of the material from their studio albums that, despite being two hours long and composed of 15 to 20 minute songs, is neither overwrought nor self-indulgent. I dare you to listen to "Free for All" on the first disc without sitting on the edge of your seat or squirming in anticipation. Most excellent jazz albums leave you happy and exhausted by the end; this one leaves you exhilarated, exhausted, and hungering for more. This album might not break huge amounts of new ground, but it is a perfect illustration that the best jazz today doesn't have to in order to remain exciting, progressive, and totally original. Five stars.

If I had two words to say to someone contemplating purchasing this record, they would be: "BUY IT!" Though it is a whopping twenty bucks or so, it is $20 WELL spent. This record truly captures the essence of how the quintet sounds in a live setting. The soloists do not feel that time constraint that they would in a studio so they can stretch their solos and "say" what they want to say without being cut off "mid-sentence." The thing that truly stands out in my mind with this album as opposed to others is the amount of communication and energy within the quintet as a whole. This is truly an interesting phenomenon; as the crowd gets more and more riled up and excited, the players feed off of that energy and their playing improves tremendously. This is very evident on the second disc, particularly in the first two tracks. The level of communication is also incredible throughout the entire album, but one track stood out in my mind more than any other, and that was "Prime Directive" on the second disc. When Holland, Kilson, and Nelson fade out leaving Potter and Eubanks to solo alone together for more than three minutes, that is when you can tell that those guys are listening like freakin' crazy. The exchanges of ideas and variations of those ideas are truly what make the quintet as impressive as they are. They have the ability to take ideas of others and their own and twist them around a bit, changing intervals, keys, etc. to create solos that you can only hear in this group. I have so much more to say, but I feel that if I go on any longer, I'll bore you to death and you wouldn't buy the CD and you would miss out big time. So trust me on this one, if this album doesn't leave you with a smile on your face or your jaw on the floor in disbelief, I don't know what will. (Not that it matters, but I didn't edit this so sorry if there's a lot of misspelled words and bad grammar etc.)

-Brendan
(An 18 year old jazz geek from Seattle)

Dave Holland and the rest of his group are at the top of their game on this recording. Having been around for quite some time (compared to most jazz outfits nowadays) they are able to hone their approach to these tunes to the point where you get this as a result. An amazing group interplaying together so well it's amazing. The daring chances they take on these cuts still leave me with an eerie sense and I've seen them twice. They are the best working band in the jazz world today. Plus, Robin Eubanks is the best trombonist alive right now (had to say it). Check this out right now if you are a fan of jazz at all.

The top-rated jazz group of the past decade is finally caught live on this 2-CD set. For a band whose strength is in group improvising, "Extended Play" finally does the quintet justice. With only one song under ten minutes and with amazing digressions, such as Christ Potter, and Robin Eubanks' four minute unaccompanied tenor-trombone duet in the middle of "Prime Directive," the group takes the listener along with them through their odd-metered adventure and drops them off at the end exhausted but wanting to hear it all over again.

As a high school jazz musician, I've met kids with the most refined sense of music possible. So when a of friend of mine, one of the best young jazz trombonists in the state of CA, told me in utter disbelief he had heard the greatest jazz recording in his life, I didn't question. These two CDs cannot be explained. When I first listened to Extended Play, I literally was staring at my speakers, jaw limp, totally numb. Over 2 hours of music, and they've crammed every second full of musical mastery and excitement. Each song is an endless stream of creativity and expression. The solos are mindnumbing (my personal recomemdation is the Eubanks/Potter a-cappella duet in Prime Directive), the music is rich and interesting, and it is non-stop for 2 hours. For anyone who likes jazz, it should be illegal not to own these CDs. Gordon Goodwin this ain't.

No doubt, the Dave Holland Quintet is the best working band right now. This live recording demonstrates how talented all members of this group are. Billy Kilson offers here the greatest drumming performance I've ever heard; this guy can do everything and he really brings the soloists to another level. Great solos by all members of the band, especially Robin Eubanks (listen carefully to his solo in Metamorphos). I consider this as the best live performance ever recorded by a jazz band and I really recommend this album to any jazz fan