Dave Holland British jazz musician Date of Birth: 01.10.1946 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Dave Holland
2. Early Career and Collaboration with Miles Davis
3. The Formation of "Circle" and Solo Work
4. Big Band Leadership and Later Career

Biography of Dave Holland

Dave Holland, a British jazz musician, was born on October 1, 1946, in Wolverhampton, England. He began playing the double bass as a child and in 1965, enrolled at the London School of Music and Drama, where he became the principal bassist in the student orchestra.

Early Career and Collaboration with Miles Davis

In 1967, Holland started regularly performing at Ronnie Scott's, the main jazz club in London, where he caught the attention of Miles Davis and Philly Joe Jones. They invited Holland to join their big band and he traveled to New York to participate in the recording of several compositions for Davis' album "Filles De Kilimanjaro." Holland played with Davis until the fall of 1970, contributing to albums such as "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," all of which became jazz classics. Initially, Holland played mainly on acoustic bass, but later also ventured into electric bass as Davis' experiments became more electronic.

The Formation of "Circle" and Solo Work

After parting ways with Davis' big band, Holland and Chick Corea, who joined Davis around the same time as Holland, formed the group "Circle" with Anthony Braxton and Barry Altschul. Although "Circle" had a short lifespan and disbanded in 1972 after Corea's departure, Braxton, Altschul, and Sam Rivers collaborated with Holland on the album "Conference Of The Birds," which marked Holland's emergence as a leader. In the 1970s, Holland played in groups led by Braxton and Rivers, as well as in the trio "Gateway" with John Abercrombie and Jack DeJohnette. In 1977, he released his solo bass album "Emerald Tears." In 1980, Holland performed at Derek Bailey's Company Festival and recorded the album "Fables" with Bailey, George Lewis, and Evan Parker.

Big Band Leadership and Later Career

In the early 1980s, Holland formed his own big band, which included Kenny Wheeler, Julian Priester, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Kevin Eubanks, and Steve Coleman. They began recording in 1984, with the album "Extensions" being the most well-known release from that period, coming out in 1990. In 1986, he toured in a quartet with Albert Mangelsdorff, John Surman, and Elvin Jones.

In 1997, Holland formed the "Dave Holland Quintet," which has won multiple Grammy awards in various categories. The quintet, consisting of Robin Eubanks, Steve Nelson, Chris Potter, and Billy Kilson, later joined by Nate Smith, regularly collaborates with young musicians. The quintet has also recorded as the "Dave Holland Big Band," featuring additional brass and saxophone players. Their second album, "Overtime," was released in 2004 on Holland's own label, "Dare2."

Currently, Dave Holland resides in New York. He is a passionate supporter of his hometown's football team, the "Wolverhampton Wanderers."