Customer Reviews

Pass It On

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

 

 

Man, have I been enjoying this CD! The front line of trombone, trumpet, and alto sax just sounds so different after listening to Dave's usual quintet lineup over the years. I also enjoy the addition of Mulgrew Miller on piano. The tunes are uniformly excellent. Even though this music sounds more tightly orchestrated compared to Holland's past quintet offerings, it is still extremely enjoyable. The interplay between the musicians is great and everyone gets the chance to stretch out over the course of the CD. When the disc ends, I just want to hear it again. It's not leaving my CD player anytime soon!

This album is just stellar, and I really mean stellar. It could not have turned out better. Long time fans of Dave will not in any way be disapointed. Newcomers will find deep and interesting while still being wholly accessible. Just great.

This is a slightly different band from last time round. Trombonist Robin Eubanks is still there (and just as smoking as always. Really, how does he do that stuff?), but most everyone else is different. Instead of Steve Nelson on Vibes, we have the jazz giant Mulgrew Miller on piano who is in fine form. Drum prodigy Eric Garland takes over for Nate Smith (Eric as well is just spectacular in general) and alto saxophone player Antonio Hart takes over for the (primarily) tenor player Chris Potter. This was one area that worried me somewhat when I first heard of this album. Chris Potter was a staple of all of Holland's bands, big and small, for many years, and he is by far one of the most gifted sax players on the scene today. The thought of a Holland album without him seemed like almost like blasphemy to me. That having been said, although I may still prefer Potter in general, Hart is a monster of a player and I would struggle to find fault with his laying anywhere here. Just great. Augment the band is trumpet player Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin. The new band works great together. I particular approve of the addition of Mulgrew Miller. Although the vibraphone quintet setup worked for Holland in the past, its really hard to make up for what Miller brings to the mix.

I have written a few reviews before and usually I use a paragraph to talk about a few songs that I particularly liked on the album. I'm not going to do that here, because I cant think of what songs to talk about. Holland (who wrote all of the songs except for the first track) has really hit a groove in terms of writing it seems. Whereas in "Critical Mass" (his last album) I found one or two tracks easily stood above the rest, this album does not have any weak points. The tracks are varied in style, but all incredibly solid. Although some of them sound a bit more standard than last time round, they are perfect vehicles for improvisation on the part of the band members and never sound out of place. Some are more upbeat, some more somber, but they are all excellent and taken as a whole, the result is spectacular.

I cannot recommend this album enough to fans of modern hard-bop. This is probably the best example we will get this year. In overall quality I think it is only surpassed by Charles Lloyd's "Rabo de Nube" for best of this year, though I might classify them slightly differently. Either way, you will not be disappointed by this.

Lord knows I loves me some Dave Holland music. He features prominently in my music collection, both as a sideman, leader and composer. For my money he and Wayne Shorter are the twin towers in shaping the direction of post bop jazz. Both can claim to have the tightest bands in music today. With such a glorious history, the decision to purchase Pass It On was an easy one. I am sure new and returning fans won't be disappointed. As in the past, the new CD spotlights the greatest jazz trombonist of all time, Robin Eubanks (sorry JJ), an impressive line-up of accomplished jazz luminaries and of course, the compositions and virtuoso double-bass contributions of Dave Holland.

Still, for me, something is lacking. Replacing Steve Nelson on vibes is Mulgrew Miller on piano. Although Steve provided a spare surreal sound to the ensemble sound, I can live with that. Antonio Hart replaces Chris Potter. Although no mortal can replace the intuitive, deep and almost telepathic connection and spirited interply between Potter and Eubanks, I can even deal with that. What I miss most, and this is no slam to the estimable Eric Harland, is the mercurial, quirky fire that Billy Kilson consistently lent to the proceedings. It is not simply a matter of being the "best drummer". Kilson for this group was the "right" drummer. Just like Charlie Rouse was the right tenor sax for Monk (sorry Trane).

Undoubtably there are some beautiful tracks on this latest effort. Mulgrew Miller in particular, makes some spectacular contributions. I may feel differently after a few more listenings and my expectations born of the past diminish. For now at least I still carry the Kilson torch.

Dave Holland's Quintet has been one of the best working jazz bands over the last decade, plus. They have contributed classics like EXTENDED PLAY:LIVE AT BIRDLAND (one of the all time great live jazz recordings), PRIME DIRECTIVE and CRITICLA MASS. Here Holland mixes things up and comes back with a sextet that changes up the lineup, without sacrificing his high standard of quality. As usual the interplay between musicians is on a high plain. It's interesting hearing Mulgrew Miller's fine piano in place of Steve Nelson's always inventive vibes. Lone holdover from the Quintet, Robin Eubanks, shines as always on trombone. Standout tracks include THE SUM OF ALL PARTS, LAZY SNAKE and PASS IT ON. Very highly recommended to music lovers, jazz fans and especially fans of Holland's previous work.

...but, I think that this is a weaker group than other groups
of Dave Holland. Background : I am a jazz guitarist and extremely
interested in living jazz composers and consider Holland to be one
of the best (along with Chick Corea and John Scofield(!)). I own
all the quintet CDs and a bunch of his prior outings (recordings
with John Abercrombie, Extensions, and the recordings with Steve
Coleman and Marvin Smith). So I am familiar with the compositions
and hearing them in a new setting is a real treat.

However, I think alto saxophonist Antonio Hart is a bit weak,
as is trumpeter Alex "Sasha" Sipiagin. Perhaps they are just "young"
and someday we'll look back on this recording and see some early
signs of genius, but Hart in particular sounds a bit insipid for
Hollands music (of course, I'm comparing him to Potter, Steve Coleman,
Julian Priestly and Anthony Braxton).

Mulgrew Miller is pleasant, and Hollands use of piano is similar to
Steve Nelsons role in the Quintet (and to be critical, I find Nelson
to be a stronger, more mature player). There is a real nice arranging
device in one piece where the piano doubles the saxophone melody
while the brass play backgrounds.

Eric Harland is a fresh voice, and has a good modern drummer vibe.

All in all, a pleasant listen, Hollands compositions and arrangements
are always great, but I find it is rounding out the collection and not
as necessary a purchase as the Quintet or Big Band recordings (or even
some earlier trio and quartet recordings).

Recent Dave Holland small groups were models of tightness. Albums like "Critical Mass" were very thought-out and practiced. They were also very good, but Dave Holland decided to mix with the formula a bit. Forming a sextet, with only Robin Eubanks carrying over, Dave Holland decided to loosen the reins a bit. The end result is more improvisational, riskier, but a little rough in spots.

"The Sum Of All Parts" starts with Eric Harland and Robin Eubanks playing in a New Orleans vibe. The rest of the group joins with the melody. "Fast Track" has a Mulgrew Miller piano solo. Holland's small groups have had vibes instead of piano, Miller's piano fits in a bit better on faster songs. The song ends with Antonio Hart's sax, Alex Sipiagin's trumpet, and Eubanks' trombone soloing together. "Lazy Snake" is another song where you can guess the tempo from the title. "Double Vision" is a fast song with a melody that altenates between major-key bright and minor-key dark. It was originally recorded on "Seeds Of Time" with a similar lineup, minus the piano. Some of the songs on "Pass It On" were previously recorded by Holland, most notably "Equality". The original version of "Equality" gave the focus to Cassandra Wilson's vocals. This bluesy version is also very good. "Modern Times" has some good horn lines curling back and forth and around each other. "Rivers Run" has an opening statement from Hart's sax, then sort of meanders on. The soloing is good, though. "Processional" is a pretty ballad, and "Pass It On" is somewhat in the vein of "Fast Track".

As far as I can tell six of the nine songs are on previous Holland discs. Besides "Double Vision" (Seeds Of Time) and "Equality" (Dream Of The Elders), there is "Rivers Run" (Triplicate), "Lazy Snake" (Dream Of The Elders), "Pass It On" (One's All), and "Processional" (Extensions).

Dave Holland fans will be interested in this slightly looser direction. Anyone turned off by what they perceived as slickness in "Critical Mass" will also be interested in this disc too.

Once again Dave Holland and Crew adapt, adjust and improvise exquisitely and improvisationally. This is a great album to buy if just for the tune Equality. Soothing and energizing music for the long haul. If you want to get through the current economic crisis with a positive attitude adjustment I recommend it highly. - Vincent

whether you are looking for early or late period dave holland, you can't go wrong. he is a constantly evolving and searching musician and composer. when the storm started at the detroit jazz festival this year(2011) and the organizers desperately tried to get some of the artists to move indoors to a nearby location, it was dave holland and his group who rose to the occasion. they wanted to play jazz for the fans. need i say more? if you were there, you were blown away.