Rarum X (Dig) [Original recording remastered, Import]

Dave Holland | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 2, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: Ecm Import
• ASIN: B0000ZOT0M
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,055 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Stuart Nicholson wrote in the BBC Music magazine of the "Rarum" series: "... selected by the artists themselves, this series is of enormous importance in revealing the breadth of each artist's work, as much for the converted as the unconverted looking for a window into the remarkable ECM catalogue". With three decades of recordings from which to select, Dave Holland chose to focus on the development of his own group music - from the groundbreaking "Conference of the Birds" at the beginning of the 1970s, with Anthony Braxton and Sam Rivers, through to the highly popular Dave Holland Quintet, with Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson and Billy Kilson. There is also music by the Gateway trio with John Abercrombie and Jack DeJohnette. Holland: "I have had the opportunity to document on one label most of the musical projects that have been important to me. This has been not only a business relationship, but also a very personal one as well."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Sampler of a Brilliant Artist, July 3, 2004

By 

David Anderson (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rarum X (Dig) (Audio CD)

I was going to make a sampler to introduce a friend of mine to the music of Dave Holland, among the premiere jazz group leaders today, but this terrific compilation has made this totally unnecessary -- I will recommend this CD instead.

Rarum X gives a compact cross section of Holland's innovative ECM career as a leader/composer, capturing many of the most memorable tunes. It's got ostinato groove tunes (How's Never, Nemesis), songs built around some of the most complex and satisfying quintet interplay in modern jazz (Prime Directive, Homecoming, You I Love), early Holland gem compositions (Four Winds, Conference of the Birds). There's even a Holland cello solo (Inception) from his Life Cycle recording.

For a compilation this is very well selected and sequenced. Holland personally selected the recording, and I think he intentionally put his best recognized compositions at the end, giving it incredible staying power in your CD player.

Highly, highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Diverse Compilation, April 6, 2007

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rarum X (Dig) (Audio CD)

Dave Holland's "Rarum" has 11 songs from 11 different albums, and they fill the CD with 76 minutes of music. On a CD as willfully diverse and packed full as this, I wonder what song choice compromises were made, since the tunes are not equally good. I don't have any of the original CD's represented here, so this CD was a good introduction to the ECM solo part of Dave Holland's career. "How's Never" opens the CD on a relatively breezy note. We then go forward and backward through Dave Holland's career. There are no solo bass songs, but "Inception" is a good solo cello song. "Equality" has a vocal by Cassandra Wilson. The CD ends strongly with "Prime Directive", "Homecoming", and "Conference Of The Birds". "Conference Of The Birds" is my favorite, it has a witchy melody, and great playing by Holland, Anthony Braxton, and Sam Rivers. I recommend this CD if you don't have the original albums.