Last night, legendary jazz bassist and composer kicked off his SFJAZZ Center residency with a rare and intimate solo performance that got the crowd to their feet on multiple occurrences. To be able to create such a captivating response among the audience in a solo setting is quite remarkable, especially when the performance simply consisted of just Holland and his upright bass. The soft spoken English-born bassist didn't need any gimmicks, effects or media projections, relying purely on his intricate bass lines and improvisational grooves to rule the evening. Throughout the performance, Holland's playing seemed to be very passionate and expressive as though he was really enjoying the mood of the audience and the overall sound of the room. At one point, he even stated "This stage sounds great. I feel like I'm playing in my living room". The set was filled with a mixture of his own compositions like "Homecoming", "Under Redwoods" and "Jumpin' In", while also playing a number classic pieces like Charles Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", Miles Davis' "Solar", while closing the show with John Coltrane's "Mr. P.C.". Overall it was truly a brilliant performance that not only paid homage to Dave Holland as a great bassist, but more importantly, Dave Holland the person.
Dave Holland continues his SFJAZZ Center residency tonight with a duo performance featuring NEA Master pianist Kenny Barron , followed by a his classic Quintet group on Saturday, and his electric Prism project on Sunday. To buy tickets to the remaining shows, CLICK HERE.
Here is one of my favorite compositions written by Dave Holland titled "Four Winds" off of his 1973 album Conference Of The Birds featuring Anthony Braxton (reeds), Sam Rivers (flute) and Barry Altschul (percussion).
Dave Holland Quartet - Four Winds
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