As a music fan, I like to talk about my favorite records. But sooner or later, I'm going to chat up my favorite artists, because they usually get to be my favorites due to putting out so many excellent records (duh). Among those favorites, Dave Holland is one of those guys who has stood for excellence in almost four decades of recording, dating back to the In A Silent Way recordings and before. Yup, it's time to devote space to giving him mad props. Put on your raincoat and rain boots, 'cos I'm gettin' ready to slobber and gush.

In My Humble Opinion Dave has hit nothing less than doubles or triples since his first time at bat with the 1973 whack jazz masterwork Conference Of The Birds. And every album since the current Quintet’s first one, 1997’s Points Of View, has been knocked out of the park.

For the last ten years, DH has employed a pianoless quintet, substituting the vibes of Steve Nelson instead. Also for this record, Billy Kilson provides the percussion, while the horn section is manned by Robin Eubanks on trombone and Chris Potter on saxes. Robin is the brother of the Tonight Show bandleader/guitarist Kevin (who had also appeared on a DH album) and Chris Potter is currently about the hottest young tenorman in NYC after his work with Steely Dan on Two Against Nature.

As for the leader, Dave Holland's bass is always a thing of beauty; a student of the legendary Ray Brown, the Brit brings Brown's perfect sense of note placement along with Charlie Haden's lyricism. And while he's not a show off, Dave's finger speed and suppleness is second to none. He really is the Complete Double Bassist.

It's that suppleness that serves him well for the challenging settings he often sets up for himself and his band. For while he's well beyond his whack jazz days of the early 70's, Holland hadn't stopped pushing the boundaries of acoustic jazz, a tough proposition when it seems there are few stones left unturned in that arena.

Just as he did so masterfully in Conference of The Birds, Holland makes his two horn players play with, against and around each other. When their not competing, they'll blurt out a recognizable theme usually near the beginning and a couple of times afterwards between solos. The warmth of the vibes serves to temper the sound of those kinetic horns. The drummer is tasked to regulating the ever-changing pace of the song. The interplay among all members is often intricate to the extreme (which also makes it a hell of a lot of fun to listen to closely).

In short, you can't be a slouch in Dave's band.

The other trademark of DHQ’s sound is the songs and how they are treated. Every one has discernible melodies and are more written out than just a handful of chords to vamp on. But the band often diverts from the main melody just enough to allow for stretching out but never so much so that you lose your sense of where you are in the song. It's a balancing act that few others can pull off so well these days, much less try.