Dave Holland Quintet: Not For Nothin'

The follow-up to last year’s Prime Directive is another must-hear. Once again, Dave Holland turns to each of his bandmates for writing contributions, considerably expanding the rhythmic and harmonic palette of the quintet. Chris Potter’s irrepressible "Lost and Found" may just be one of the best jazz tracks of our day. Robin Eubanks’s "Global Citizen," the opener, with its riveting grooves, killer unaccompanied bass break, and unexpected tempo shifts, is another candidate for top honors. Billy Kilson’s off-kilter "Billows of Rhythm" and Steve Nelson’s haunting "Go Fly a Kite" are at opposite ends of the band’s compositional spectrum — the former embodying tight, polyrhythmic execution, the latter a bittersweet lyricism. And Holland’s five charts are characteristically wily and well-crafted, from the slow waltz "For All You Are" to the closing up-tempo burner "Cosmosis." Things really come to a boil during his 13-minute-long "What Goes Around"; Potter tears it up on alto, Eubanks gets to growling through his mouthpiece, and Kilson finally solos over the alternating 6/4-5/4 bass line.

This incarnation of the Dave Holland Quintet is a thing of utmost rarity: a cutting-edge ensemble that is brainy and complex yet downright entertaining. May its book and discography continue to grow.

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