Dream of the Elders

Dave Holland's bands are famous for their energetic performances, fabulous interplay, extraordinary instrumental skills, and group's unity. Collective improvisation is also one of their signature marks. Reminiscent of the Dixieland era these group improvisations creates a great deal of the magic involved. Dave Holland is one of the greatest bass players of the past 50 years, and there is no doubt that his imaginative bass lines make the basis for a supergroup such as his quartet, quintet, and his big band. "Dream of the Elders", from the eponymous 1995 album, is an example of all of the above mentioned, only in a ballad setting. Starting with the hypnotic bass line, the song reveals the simple, but powerful melody after several bars. It’s a kind of melody that sticks with you for a long time, similar to Garbarek’s “Brother Wind March.” The soloists slowly build the tension, culminating in the collective complementing of ideas and passages.

“Dream of the Elders” is the sole release by this line-up of the Dave Holland Quartet. Like Holland's previous releases, “Triplicate” and “Extensions,” this album was recorded following the dissolving of his first working quintet (that had featured Steve Coleman, Robin Eubanks, Kenny Wheeler and Marvin "Smitty" Smith) but before the formation of his current working quintet (with Chris Potter, Eubanks, Steve Nelson and Nate Smith). The music on the album has influenced Holland's future releases in many ways. It was his first release to feature vibraphonist Steve Nelson, who then went on to join Holland's second working quintet, formed following the “Dream of the Elders” session. Additionally, four of the tunes introduced on the album ("Lazy Snake", "Claressence", "Equality" and "Ebb & Flow") have been re-arranged by Holland on several subsequent releases.AllMusic’s reviewer Scott Yanow wrote the following about the record: “Stylewise, the music on this CD sounds much closer to a mid-'60s Blue Note release than what one might expect from ECM. Although the general sound of the ensembles is light, the music is often filled with inner heat, a little reminiscent of a Wayne Shorter record. Altoist Eric Person and vibraphonist Steve Nelson work well together, bassist Dave Holland takes plenty of solo space, drummer Gene Jackson keeps the momentum flowing and guest vocalist Cassandra Wilson does a fine job on Maya Angelou's poem "Equality." Holland's originals have plenty of variety in moods while close attention is paid to dynamics. A satisfying and thought-provoking session.”

Since the studio version is not uploaded to YouTube, you can enjoy this beautiful live version, recorded on March 3, 2003. In Tralfamadore Cafe, Buffalo, NY. The musicians on the track are Dave Holland (double bass,) Chris Potter (tenor saxophone,) Robin Eubanks (trombone,) Steve Nelson (vibraphone, marimba) and Billy Kilson (drums).