|
MANHATTAN,
Kan.
The residents of Manhattan, Kan., often
refer to their hometown as "The Little
Apple," facetiously setting it apart from
its larger, urban cousin back
East.
But on the
evening of Feb. 23, with the world-class
Dave Holland Quintet performing at the
lovely McCain Auditorium on the Kansas
State University campus, this mid-sized,
Midwestern college town did, indeed, seem
like the real thing.
I had the
good fortune to catch Holland's quintet
when the band played at Hastings College
in October 2000 (a concert later reviewed
in Jazz), and I was not about to miss a
second opportunity to hear one of the
all-time great progressive jazz outfits.
As expected, the Manhattan performance was
another memorable occasion.
One of the
hallmarks of Holland's quintet is a
consistently high level of emotional
intensity, combined with technical
virtuosity for a completely satisfying
listening experience.
Also, the
same band has remained largely intact for
several years and three consecutive ECM
recordings, with the exception of the
saxophone chair, which has shifted from
Steve Wilson to Chris Potter. (The very
capable Antonio Hart sat in for Potter in
Hastings.) That consistency is rare in
jazz today and allows the quintet to
naturally evolve its individual and group
talents.
Another
Holland hallmark is the leader's
democratic spirit, the bassist equally
sharing the composing and soloing duties
with his comrades. That was evident from
the start of the Manhattan show, which
kicked off with drummer Billy Kilson's
"Billows of Rhythm." Kilson is simply one
of the great drummers of jazz history,
drawing on influences ranging from funk to
hip-hop to bebop and synthesizing them in
his own unique palette of rhythmic
colors.
|
But even
Kilson's opener was not strictly a drum
showcase. It also featured superb solos by
Holland on bass, Potter on tenor sax and
Robin Eubanks with a triple-tonguing
passage on trombone. On "Shifting Sands,"
Eubanks and Potter (on soprano sax) were
the lead voices, but Steve Nelson was a
dynamic presence on marimba.
The
versatile Potter switched to alto sax and
Nelson moved to the vibes for Eubanks'
composition "Seeking Spirit." The
composer's outstanding trombone solo was
followed by yet another rhythmic barrage
by Kilson, who effortlessly shifted tempos
and created polyrhythmic clusters that
defy human comprehension. It seems his
biological clock is set to a different
standard, and he leaves listeners baffled
by his complexity.
Potter
contributed "High Wire," launching the
tune on tenor sax at a dangerously fast
tempo, with bass and drums in hot pursuit.
Nelson proved equal to the task with a
cogent solo on vibes, followed by an
imaginative and fluid bass solo by
Holland, whose frequent smiles signaled a
jazz musician's delight in the magic of
the moment.
"Make
Believe" featured accomplished solos by
Holland and Eubanks, while the extended
"Free For All" began with a solo bass
intro that segued into a trombone-soprano
sax passage, followed by solos from Nelson
on vibes and Kilson on drums.
Perhaps
the most democratic performance of the
evening was the encore, "Dream of the
Elders." Beginning with a solo marimba
statement, it led to a melody shared by
Nelson, Eubanks and Potter on tenor sax.
Eubanks and Potter traded solo licks in
the jazz tradition, but with a spirit more
communicative than competitive.
Ninety
minutes after it began, the concert was
over, and the "The Little Apple" was
shining like a freshly polished gem.
|