Issue 5, Article 12
I had not expected to find Dave Holland in Santa Cruz, CA, but it turns out that (amongst other surprises) Santa Cruz is home to a thriving jazz community, centered around the Kuumbwa Jazz Club. The Kuumbwa often serves as a stopping point for many jazz acts touring the west coast, in addition to sponsoring some more local acts such as recitals for aspiring 12-year-old jazz pianists (I stumbled in on one such recital when buying my ticket early in the afternoon). The quintet (Holland on bass, Robin Eubanks on trombone, Steve Wilson on saxes, Steve Nelson on vibes, and Billy Kilson on drums) has been written up as "the most forward thinking - and talent laden - jazz combo existent" by the Los Angeles Times. Knowing Dave Holland mostly from his contributions to the Miles Davis albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew, as well as his early quartet work with Anthony Braxton, Barry Altschul and Sam Rivers, I was excited to hear this new "forward thinking" sound.
Let me just say this now: the L.A. Times was on point calling these musicians talent laden. This much was almost indisputable. The compositions, mostly taken from the quintet's current ECM release, Points of View, were rhythmically complex and perfectly executed. Solos - particularly Kilson's drum solos, which managed to extrapolate every ounce of sound from his relatively scaled-down drum set - had the audience so worked up that my coffee was shaken all over the floor by tapping feet. Robin Eubanks and Steve Wilson moved flawlessly through their unison lines displaying a quality of tone usually reserved for studio recordings. For almost three hours the quintet played music deserving of their recognition as a 1999 Grammy nominee for best jazz instrumental performance.
But therein lay the problem - maybe not the problem for the majority of the audience, who swapped praises between sets and after the show, but the problem for anyone left wondering, "what happened to the Conference of the Birds (Holland's 1972 quartet recording) continuum?" Between sets I approached Robin Eubanks in order to ask him what, exactly, their music was trying to portray. I must have presented my question poorly because he responded that I should not place their music into any particular category of jazz sound. I attempted my question again, but eventually just left him to eat his bowl of chili while I went on wondering.
During the second set I wrote down these possible explanations for my hesitancy towards the music:
1) the tune "Make Believe" was the kind of tune which made all the couples in the audience get close and "share the moment;"
2) the last piece, "Prime Directive" ("to have fun," according to Dave), displayed the style of "free" improvisation where not one sound was unexpected.
I wanted to know where the growl was. Where was the slightly manic edge of jazz that makes the audience nervous and uncomfortable? This audience here was definitely comfortable. I donšt really know what would have given the music that edge I have come to expect in jazz - perhaps less soprano sax (Kenny G. has destroyed the soprano's respectability), maybe more bass solos? More chaos? Obviously Dave Holland still possesses the spirit which allowed him to carry the bass beyond the realm of a strictly rhythmic instrument, and the other musicians commanded complete control over their respective instruments as well. So then why have they chosen to mold their talents into, dare I say, music for the masses, delightful to the ear and simple to slip into the car stereo?
-Susan Sakash