Ben and I saw the Dave Holland Sextet at Memorial Hall tonight. The concert was absolutely outstanding. A few observations:
1. Until today, I had never seen anyone play the upright bass shred-metal style. Seriously - some of Dave Holland's licks would have fit perfectly even in the most disgustingly metal of metal records. The numerous music/jazz students sitting around us continuously gasped during his solo turns, as did I.
I feel bad that I jokingly made reference to the numerous droning bass solos I would have to endure as I walked into the auditorium. In retrospect, I would have preferred that Mr. Holland drop the horns (not that they weren't amazing talented in their own right) and play in a simple piano/bass/drums combo. In this setup, it would have been much easier to appreciate the subtleties in his talent even when he was not soloing.
2. The drummer, Eric Harland, was the best I've ever seen.
3. Trombone is kinda boring, even when the player is supremely talented. Perhaps I don't have the finely tuned appreciation for the instrument, but to me it sounds like one big muddled mess.
1. Until today, I had never seen anyone play the upright bass shred-metal style. Seriously - some of Dave Holland's licks would have fit perfectly even in the most disgustingly metal of metal records. The numerous music/jazz students sitting around us continuously gasped during his solo turns, as did I.
I feel bad that I jokingly made reference to the numerous droning bass solos I would have to endure as I walked into the auditorium. In retrospect, I would have preferred that Mr. Holland drop the horns (not that they weren't amazing talented in their own right) and play in a simple piano/bass/drums combo. In this setup, it would have been much easier to appreciate the subtleties in his talent even when he was not soloing.
2. The drummer, Eric Harland, was the best I've ever seen.
3. Trombone is kinda boring, even when the player is supremely talented. Perhaps I don't have the finely tuned appreciation for the instrument, but to me it sounds like one big muddled mess.