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All About Jazz: What's New for October 1, 2026 - Celebrating Dave Holland
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Today is a big day at All About Jazz.
Dave Holland turned 80, and what began as a cyber-birthday card grew into what can only be described as a virtual surprise party—a celebration befitting a musician whose influence has traveled through generations of musicians and listeners.
We asked Dave's friends, colleagues, students and admirers to help us celebrate. The response was extraordinary: nearly 200 tributes and counting, filled with stories, memories and reflections from across the jazz world and beyond. Even Dave's daughter Louise joined in.
But we didn't stop there.
We've assembled archival and contemporary photo galleries, revisited interviews with Dave spanning more than two decades, explored the new Freedom Call box set, gathered radio broadcasts, and built a 110-song Points of View: Celebrating Dave Holland playlist—13 hours of music—based in part on selections from the people who contributed to the tribute. Cellist Ernst Reijseger even composed and recorded an original piece for the occasion, appropriately titled "For Dave" (see below).
Pulling all of this together was no small undertaking. I helped wherever I could, but the heavy lifting was done by my old friend Ludovico Grandvassu, whose "dogged determination" probably deserves some explanation. Ludovico became obsessed with getting as many people as possible to participate. If someone didn't respond, he reminded them. And reminded them again. In a few cases, as many as five times. Apparently, "no response" was simply another way of saying "ask me again later." :-)
The result is what you see today. What started as a birthday card became something much bigger.
So read the tributes. Explore the photographs. Listen to the music. Spend five minutes with Dave or spend the entire day with him. And please share the celebration on your socials or send it to someone who loves Dave Holland's music.
Let's see how far we can spread it.
And if 200 tributes, 110 songs, countless photographs and everything else we've assembled manage to break the jazz internet—or take down the All About Jazz servers—I can't think of a better reason.
Happy 80th birthday, Dave!
All About Jazz and Jazz Near You support the people and organizations that make jazz happen. Whether you're a musician, writer, photographer, publicist, record label, venue, festival presenter, or broadcaster, we provide tools and opportunities to help you share your work, reach new audiences, promote your projects, and connect with the worldwide jazz community.
See what All About Jazz can do for you.
Since this week's newsletter is jam-packed with material celebrating Dave's birthday, we don't want everything else to get lost in the mix. Be sure to check out the Choice Content section below, including our interview with Vince Wilburn, Jr.
Birthdays offer an annual opportunity to celebrate. Milestone birthdays offer something more: a chance to take stock. But when a towering figure in jazz turns 80 after six decades of music-making, how do we even begin to take the measure of a musical life so rich, so wide-ranging, and so influential? A comprehensive interview could tell part of the story. An in-depth analysis of a discography could tell another. But perhaps the most tangible, and personal, way to understand the world an artist has created is to ask the people who have inhabited it, or simply spent enough time listening to it to feel that they know it. Continue reading...
On September 16, 2026, I sat down with groundbreaking saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman at a penthouse apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Coleman was four days shy of his 70th birthday, which itself was just three days before the great John Coltrane's centennial birthday. However, our conversation focused largely on another musician, and a relationship that had played an important role in Steve's development: bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland. This conversation holds particular significance for me. I played bass with Steve for some 25 years and have enormous admiration for both him and Dave. There is also a certain parallel between Dave's journey and my own: we are both bassists from the U.K. who crossed the Atlantic and eventually made our lives in the United States, albeit more than two decades apart. Continue reading...
As part of our Celebration of Dave Holland, we invited Bill Frisell to share a few thoughts about a musician who has been an important part of his musical world for decades. Bill had rather a lot to say, and it seemed a shame to stop at a few thoughts. So, rather than squeezing Bill's reflections into the format of the other contributions to this tribute, we decided to let the conversation unfold. Continue reading...
On the occasion of Dave Holland's 80th birthday, Edition Records releases Freedom Call, a box set comprising six LPs and three CDs, also available for streaming, bringing together previously unreleased live recordings by three pivotal formations in his career: the sextet with Mulgrew Miller, Alex Sipiagin, Antonio Hart, Robin Eubanks and Eric Harland; the quintet with Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson and here in the configuration with Nate Smith on drums; and the Prism quartet with Craig Taborn, Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland. The box set offers new and compelling examples of the master bassist's gifts as a composer and leader. Continue reading...
"Pass It On" by Dave Holland
Record Label: Dare2 Records
Released: 2008
"After The Last Sky" by Anouar Brahem
Record Label: ECM Records
Released: 2025
"For Dave" by Ernst Reijseger
Record Label: Self Produced
Released: 2026
Without a Net, and with Love, Uncle Miles (read); Al Naffah: The Filmmaker (read); Marcus Miller At Miner Auditorium (read); Umbria Jazz 2026: Part 2 (view photos); Sketches Of Spain Or Somethin' Else (read); Umbria Jazz 2026: Part 1 (view photos); Kelly Green: Taking Care of the Music (read); Craft Mines the Vaults: New Moodsville Titles from Red Garland, Frank Wess, and Coleman Hawkins (read); Revolutionary Aesthetics: Exploring Warne Marsh's Overthrow of Sweet Georgia Brown (read); Adam O'Farrill's ELEPHANT at BOP STOP (read); Stacey Kent with trio at Ladies' Jazz Festival 2026 (view photos); Espen Eriksen Trio: Winter Is Coming (listen); A Time Capsule in Sound: Jim Pugh's New American Symphonies (read); Rachel Spencer: Trumpeter Making Artistic Statements (read); Old School with Wendel Brunious (read).
Allston Boylston: An outstanding new release from Emma Dayhuff featuring Isaiah Collier and Paul Cornish, Kevin Sun's latest, Jane Ira Bloom and Caleb Wheeler Curtis with Jason Moran (listen); The Outer View: Kalaparusha, Bobby Sanabria, and Giorgio Gaslini (listen); The Third Story: Nicole Zuraitis Baked Her Own Cake (listen); Jazz Crumbs: Confusion Project, SongAh Chae Trio, Bignami Veltri Jazz Ensemble & More (listen); Exploration: Happy 100th Birthday John Coltrane! His Music, Performed by Him and by Sonny Fortune, Bobby Watson, Stanley Turrentine, and Others (listen); North Star Sounds: Combustible Mix of Post Bop From the Last Century As Well As New Releases (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Joshua Smith Quartet, Set 1 (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 3 (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Ekep Nkwelle, Janis Siegel, Rachel Spencer, Monika Ryan, Lizz Wright, Amy Winehouse & More (listen); One Man's Jazz: Stephan Crump, Amalie Dahl & Wadada Leo Smith (listen); The Stereo Image: David Silverman: Sketches and Sonatas (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 2 (listen); Caminhos Do Jazz: September Songs (listen); Jazz Bastard: The Olds Have it (listen); Bitches Brew: Highlighting Brand X, Usein Bekirov, Kick The Cat, Pat Metheny, Andy Summers, Chick Corea (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 1 (listen); The Tonearm: Bob Ezrin: Holding Artists To Their Own Best Work (listen); Injazz: The Dual City Concert Band, Jesse van Ruller, Maarten Hogenhuis, Philipp Rüttgers Trio and more (listen); Mondo Jazz: Espen Berg, Zoe Rahman, Joe Henderson, Erica von Kleist, Misha Mullov-Abbado, James Davison (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Enzo Favata, Felicia Carter, Josh Cohen, Al-Sultani-Thomas-Abas, thèriot (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Miki Yamanaka, Donald Vega, Dwayne Dolphin, Jalen Baker and more (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Chris McCarthy, Sam Blakeslee, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, John Wadham (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Linda Sikhakhane, Brandon Seabrook, Angles 4 & More (listen); Rotations: Minoru Muraoka, Alice Coltrane, Jazztobak And More (listen).
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Jazzahead! 2027 Focus Areas Include Pacific Region And The Baltics (read); 'Saturday Blues,' A Soulful New Single By Wajdi Cherif (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: September 28, 2026 (read); All About Jazz Launches New Shopping Cart and Integrated Payment System (read); Macedonian Saxophonist Hristijan Risteski Releases Debut Album 'waters Dance' (read); Emily Remler Feature Documentary Launches Kickstarter Campaign (read); Jazz Near You Brings Back Its Popular CSV Event Upload Feature (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
Dave Holland turned 80, and what began as a cyber-birthday card grew into what can only be described as a virtual surprise party—a celebration befitting a musician whose influence has traveled through generations of musicians and listeners. We asked Dave's friends, colleagues, students and admirers to help us celebrate. The response was extraordinary: nearly 200 tributes and counting, filled with stories, memories and reflections from across the jazz world and beyond. Even Dave's daughter Louise joined in.
But we didn't stop there.
We've assembled archival and contemporary photo galleries, revisited interviews with Dave spanning more than two decades, explored the new Freedom Call box set, gathered radio broadcasts, and built a 110-song Points of View: Celebrating Dave Holland playlist—13 hours of music—based in part on selections from the people who contributed to the tribute. Cellist Ernst Reijseger even composed and recorded an original piece for the occasion, appropriately titled "For Dave" (see below).
Pulling all of this together was no small undertaking. I helped wherever I could, but the heavy lifting was done by my old friend Ludovico Grandvassu, whose "dogged determination" probably deserves some explanation. Ludovico became obsessed with getting as many people as possible to participate. If someone didn't respond, he reminded them. And reminded them again. In a few cases, as many as five times. Apparently, "no response" was simply another way of saying "ask me again later." :-)
The result is what you see today. What started as a birthday card became something much bigger.
So read the tributes. Explore the photographs. Listen to the music. Spend five minutes with Dave or spend the entire day with him. And please share the celebration on your socials or send it to someone who loves Dave Holland's music.
Let's see how far we can spread it.
And if 200 tributes, 110 songs, countless photographs and everything else we've assembled manage to break the jazz internet—or take down the All About Jazz servers—I can't think of a better reason.
Happy 80th birthday, Dave!
Jazz Professional?
All About Jazz and Jazz Near You support the people and organizations that make jazz happen. Whether you're a musician, writer, photographer, publicist, record label, venue, festival presenter, or broadcaster, we provide tools and opportunities to help you share your work, reach new audiences, promote your projects, and connect with the worldwide jazz community. See what All About Jazz can do for you.
Since this week's newsletter is jam-packed with material celebrating Dave's birthday, we don't want everything else to get lost in the mix. Be sure to check out the Choice Content section below, including our interview with Vince Wilburn, Jr.
Album Reviews
The album reviews below represent our most popular from the past week. View more recent reviews. Talamanti Patricia Brennan and Sylvie Courvoisier |  Salt Catchers Andy Sheppard |  Mridhangit Rahul Mukerji |  Soho Elegy Rachael Calladine Quintet |
 Gamle Mester Lars Fredrik Frøislie |  Constellations and Hemispheres Wadada Leo Smith |  Adventures of the Wildflower Yelena Eckemoff |  Passionata Technocats |
Looking for an album review?
If you're a musician, publicist, or record label seeking album review coverage on All About Jazz, please read our review submission guide, then complete the coverage request form here. When submitting your request, include up to five AAJ album reviewers who best align with your music.Points of View: Celebrating Dave Holland
Birthdays offer an annual opportunity to celebrate. Milestone birthdays offer something more: a chance to take stock. But when a towering figure in jazz turns 80 after six decades of music-making, how do we even begin to take the measure of a musical life so rich, so wide-ranging, and so influential? A comprehensive interview could tell part of the story. An in-depth analysis of a discography could tell another. But perhaps the most tangible, and personal, way to understand the world an artist has created is to ask the people who have inhabited it, or simply spent enough time listening to it to feel that they know it. Continue reading...
Steve Coleman on Dave Holland
On September 16, 2026, I sat down with groundbreaking saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman at a penthouse apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Coleman was four days shy of his 70th birthday, which itself was just three days before the great John Coltrane's centennial birthday. However, our conversation focused largely on another musician, and a relationship that had played an important role in Steve's development: bassist, composer and bandleader Dave Holland. This conversation holds particular significance for me. I played bass with Steve for some 25 years and have enormous admiration for both him and Dave. There is also a certain parallel between Dave's journey and my own: we are both bassists from the U.K. who crossed the Atlantic and eventually made our lives in the United States, albeit more than two decades apart. Continue reading...
A Language of His Own: Bill Frisell on Dave Holland
As part of our Celebration of Dave Holland, we invited Bill Frisell to share a few thoughts about a musician who has been an important part of his musical world for decades. Bill had rather a lot to say, and it seemed a shame to stop at a few thoughts. So, rather than squeezing Bill's reflections into the format of the other contributions to this tribute, we decided to let the conversation unfold. Continue reading...
Dave Holland: Freedom Call
On the occasion of Dave Holland's 80th birthday, Edition Records releases Freedom Call, a box set comprising six LPs and three CDs, also available for streaming, bringing together previously unreleased live recordings by three pivotal formations in his career: the sextet with Mulgrew Miller, Alex Sipiagin, Antonio Hart, Robin Eubanks and Eric Harland; the quintet with Chris Potter, Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson and here in the configuration with Nate Smith on drums; and the Prism quartet with Craig Taborn, Kevin Eubanks and Eric Harland. The box set offers new and compelling examples of the master bassist's gifts as a composer and leader. Continue reading...
Songs of the Week
A special Dave Holland threefer this week: the title track from Dave's 2008 release Pass It On, a selection from his collaboration with oudist Anouar Brahem, and cellist Ernst Reijseger's "For Dave," written to mark this special day. Enjoy all three. "Pass It On" by Dave Holland
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: Pass It OnRecord Label: Dare2 Records
Released: 2008
"After The Last Sky" by Anouar Brahem
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: After the Last SkyRecord Label: ECM Records
Released: 2025
"For Dave" by Ernst Reijseger
L I S T E N
Album Information
Title: For DaveRecord Label: Self Produced
Released: 2026
Top Songs
The songs below represent the most heard in the past four weeks. View the Song of the Day archive. Elysian Shore From the album Farther (still) By Mike Dana |  Maree Latenti From the album Equilibri Precari By Diego Allieri |  Intégration From the album Mezzanine By Greenhouse Ensemble |  Montrose to Mahe From the album DNA By Terence Collie |
 Left Behind From the album Congregation By Robert Jukic |  Toast Of The Town From the album SGC3 By Warren Keller |  Si Par Hasard From the album Clouds (Special Edition) By Marie-Paule Franke |  Smoovee (Featuring Marion Meadows) From the album Smoovee featuring Marion Meadows By Vel Lewis |
Choice Content
Without a Net, and with Love, Uncle Miles (read); Al Naffah: The Filmmaker (read); Marcus Miller At Miner Auditorium (read); Umbria Jazz 2026: Part 2 (view photos); Sketches Of Spain Or Somethin' Else (read); Umbria Jazz 2026: Part 1 (view photos); Kelly Green: Taking Care of the Music (read); Craft Mines the Vaults: New Moodsville Titles from Red Garland, Frank Wess, and Coleman Hawkins (read); Revolutionary Aesthetics: Exploring Warne Marsh's Overthrow of Sweet Georgia Brown (read); Adam O'Farrill's ELEPHANT at BOP STOP (read); Stacey Kent with trio at Ladies' Jazz Festival 2026 (view photos); Espen Eriksen Trio: Winter Is Coming (listen); A Time Capsule in Sound: Jim Pugh's New American Symphonies (read); Rachel Spencer: Trumpeter Making Artistic Statements (read); Old School with Wendel Brunious (read).
Radio & Podcasts
Tune into our extensive collection of quality programs every week.Allston Boylston: An outstanding new release from Emma Dayhuff featuring Isaiah Collier and Paul Cornish, Kevin Sun's latest, Jane Ira Bloom and Caleb Wheeler Curtis with Jason Moran (listen); The Outer View: Kalaparusha, Bobby Sanabria, and Giorgio Gaslini (listen); The Third Story: Nicole Zuraitis Baked Her Own Cake (listen); Jazz Crumbs: Confusion Project, SongAh Chae Trio, Bignami Veltri Jazz Ensemble & More (listen); Exploration: Happy 100th Birthday John Coltrane! His Music, Performed by Him and by Sonny Fortune, Bobby Watson, Stanley Turrentine, and Others (listen); North Star Sounds: Combustible Mix of Post Bop From the Last Century As Well As New Releases (listen); Live At The Bop Stop: Joshua Smith Quartet, Set 1 (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 3 (listen); A Broad Spectrum: Ekep Nkwelle, Janis Siegel, Rachel Spencer, Monika Ryan, Lizz Wright, Amy Winehouse & More (listen); One Man's Jazz: Stephan Crump, Amalie Dahl & Wadada Leo Smith (listen); The Stereo Image: David Silverman: Sketches and Sonatas (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 2 (listen); Caminhos Do Jazz: September Songs (listen); Jazz Bastard: The Olds Have it (listen); Bitches Brew: Highlighting Brand X, Usein Bekirov, Kick The Cat, Pat Metheny, Andy Summers, Chick Corea (listen); Mondo Jazz: Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Jazz—Part 1 (listen); The Tonearm: Bob Ezrin: Holding Artists To Their Own Best Work (listen); Injazz: The Dual City Concert Band, Jesse van Ruller, Maarten Hogenhuis, Philipp Rüttgers Trio and more (listen); Mondo Jazz: Espen Berg, Zoe Rahman, Joe Henderson, Erica von Kleist, Misha Mullov-Abbado, James Davison (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Enzo Favata, Felicia Carter, Josh Cohen, Al-Sultani-Thomas-Abas, thèriot (listen); Ben Boddie On Jazz: Miki Yamanaka, Donald Vega, Dwayne Dolphin, Jalen Baker and more (listen); The Jazz Disturbance: Chris McCarthy, Sam Blakeslee, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, John Wadham (listen); World of Jazz: New Music From Linda Sikhakhane, Brandon Seabrook, Angles 4 & More (listen); Rotations: Minoru Muraoka, Alice Coltrane, Jazztobak And More (listen).
News Announcements
Timely announcements covering new album releases, tours, special events and more. View all recent announcements.
Jazzahead! 2027 Focus Areas Include Pacific Region And The Baltics (read); 'Saturday Blues,' A Soulful New Single By Wajdi Cherif (read); JazzWeek Radio Chart: September 28, 2026 (read); All About Jazz Launches New Shopping Cart and Integrated Payment System (read); Macedonian Saxophonist Hristijan Risteski Releases Debut Album 'waters Dance' (read); Emily Remler Feature Documentary Launches Kickstarter Campaign (read); Jazz Near You Brings Back Its Popular CSV Event Upload Feature (read).
Got news? Share it in our newsletter and on our website. Learn how, here.
Posted to All About Jazz Newsletter IN THE All About Jazz GROUP
Read more posts by Michael Ricci
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