What Goes Around

Quick horns, fat bass, sharp angles, and lyrical melodies have earmarked Dave Holland's quintets since he formed his first in 1983. And on What Goes Around, Holland stakes his big band on the same values with phenomenal success. Mingus and Ellington are clearly the inspiration here, with jumping solos running alongside brass and reed riffs aplenty. The leader's longstanding emphasis on hummable melodies is of utmost importance, from the first, loping lines of "Triple Dance" through the bounding, three-minute bass solo and Ellingtonian riff-making on "Shadow Dance." Steve Nelson's vigorous vibraphone serves as rhythm and melody so fluidly that it draws the ear through the well-ordered crowd of 10 horns toward the big, pumping hearts of these tunes. Chris Potter's tenor cuts a formidable, excited swath, as does drummer Billy Kilson's swift marriage of Elvin Jones's force and Billy Higgins's snapping sharpness. But the clear voice is found in the marriage of Holland's quick, thick bass imaginings and his soulful, wide-ranging tunes. --Andrew Bartlett