In July 1968, Miles Davis happened to listen in on a performance by jazz bassist Dave Holland at London's Ronnie Scott's club. Impressed by what he saw, Davis asked Holland to move to New York and join his band. Holland spent the next two years touring with Davis, and also contributing to the classic albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew.
After his tenure with Davis, Holland formed the group Circle with Chick Corea, Anthony Braxton, and Barry Altschul. Holland continued to work with many notables in the jazz field during the 1970s, including Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, and Sam Rivers. In the 1980s, Holland was part of several jazz combos, as well as taking on full-time faculty duties here at NEC from 1987 through 1990; in 2003, Holland was the recipent of an honorary degree from the Conservatory.
As a composer and bandleader, Holland has released several albums to criticial acclaim, from 1977's Emerald Tears to 1995's Dream of the Elders, among many others. Today, Holland continues to tour with jazz legends such as Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny, and also perform on Grammy-nominated albums such as Joe Henderson's So Near, So Far and Jack DeJohnette's Parallel Realities' Question and Answer. His latest incarnation, The Dave Holland Quintet, is an active touring band, and has released several recordings on the ECM label.
Holland is the 2005 Grammy Award winner of "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album" for Overtime by the Dave Holland Big Band. He is a member of the band peforming on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, which won the 2007 Grammy Award for "Album of the Year"—the first jazz album to take this award since the 1960s.
Studies with James E. Merritt at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; former faculty of the Banff School.
Photo by Andrew Hurlbut