Holland Music

2014 marks the 45th Anniversary of the launch of the Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant labels – the trio of labels that Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland launched following their acrimonious split from Berry Gordy’s Motown Empire. Since the 45rpm record was the fulcrum of the new operation, we thought this would be the perfect excuse to celebrate the 45th anniversary by pulling together every single 45 release from the discography of Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant - both A and B sides. That’s 96 x Invictus 45s, 44 x Hot Wax 45s and 17 x Music Merchant 45s – 157 singles and 269 original recordings total.

Originally released on ECM in 1971, and here reissued on CD in Japan, this historic date features the two British bassists engaged while at the top of their powers, exploring not only tonality and the dynamic and harmonic possibilities that exist between two double basses, but also the expanded notions of how the different players' styles and musical intuitions dovetail, rather than work in opposition. Holland's pizzicato attack is far more languid and lush than Phillips,' whose style is over the top; they approach each encounter as one in which sheer propulsiveness becomes an aesthetic.

On Nov. 27, “Black Friday,” independent jazz label Resonance Records will continue its ongoing tradition of releasing previously unissued archival recordings as limited-edition Record Store Day exclusives with a stellar new three-LP collection of historic Sonny Rollins performances, Rollins in Holland: The 1967 Studio & Live Recordings.

Dave Holland Quintet - Prime Directive (1999) {ECM 1698}
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© 1999 ECM Records | ECM 1698
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Double-Bass

A player's 'prime directive', Dave Holland has decided, should be to spread joy while making creative music. His role model in this regard remains Duke Ellington, whose melodies were the lure to draw listeners deeper into the world of jazz interaction; so it is with the Holland Quintet. Prime Directive, the album, picks where the Grammy-nominated Points of View left off, and is the stronger for the addition of Chris Potter, widely regarded as one of the most exciting young saxophonists in North America.

Dave Holland Quintet - Seeds of Time (1985) {ECM 1292}
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© 1985 ECM Records | ECM 1192
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Bass

As well as being a mighty bassist, Dave Holland has long been a wise band leader, filling his groups with players of differing background and experience and drawing on their collected knowledge and energies. Holland recognised the individuality of Steve Coleman’s skills as soloist and composer early on and featured him in the quintet alongside veterans Kenny Wheeler and Julian Priester, who also brought in material - as did the leader, whose tune “Homecoming” is among the highlights. Between them, this team could reference the whole history of modern jazz.

After recording Vivaldi's set of Violin Concertos 'La Stravaganza', Opus 4, in 2003, Rachel Podger has been immersed in music by Mozart and Bach on disc. But it has now felt right to come back to the Venetian Maestro, whose sense of drama she adores: “This time I chose his opus 9, the set of 12 Violin concertos entitled 'La Cetra'. There are plenty of jewels in this set, just as in 'La Stravaganza', with even higher technical demands made on the soloist including many, often exotic experimental effects.”

Depending on who you talk to, the irrepressible Jools Holland is best known as a blisteringly energetic, piano-pounding performer of boogie-woogie, jazz, and R&B; or as the keyboard-wizard sideman to one of the great new wave pop bands of the '70s and '80s; or as one of the U.K.'s most popular television presenters. And while any one of these accomplishments would be enough for most people, Jools Holland has managed to be all those things in his remarkable show biz career – a career that's seen him work with almost everybody who was anybody on the U.K. or U.S. music scene from the late '70s onward.

RCO - Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vol 2, 1950-1960 (2003) {14CD Box Set Q Disc 97018, Limited Edition}
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© 1950-60, 2003 Radio Netherlands Music / Q Disc | 97018
Classical / Orchestral / Symphony

Again we are indebted to NM Classics for another volume (the second) in their Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra series. This one covers the period 1950-1960 and contains many unusual treasures as well as a number of performances that have already been issued: the fine Daphnis and Chloe with Monteux which currently is available on both Audiophile Classics and Music & Arts, Bruno Walter's Mozart, Mahler and Strauss all of which are available on Music & Arts, and the Brahms concerto with Monteux/Milstein, available on Audiophile Classics and Arioso (as well as a discontinued Tahra set). However, there are many fascinating items here including a number of major additions to Eduard van Beinum's discography. We have Beinum conducting music of Dutch composers Hans Henkemans (1913-1995), Anthony van der Horst (1899-1965), and Matthijs Vermeulen (1888-1967).