Jumpin' In
A chattery, free-bop fanfare blasts openJumpin' In, the clarion call that introduced bassist Dave Holland's newly formed quintet in 1984. It's the kind of album opening that's unabashedly frank and as optimistic as it is creative. After having served as one ofMiles Davis's key coconspirators in Davis's late-1960s fusion land grab, Holland had ventured into the freer woods with his own stellarConference of the Birdsand solo-bassEmerald Tears. The early- to mid-1980s were right for his new band. It featured a youngSteve Colemanand his clip-toned alto sax, Canadian-born trumpeterKenny Wheelerand his insatiable appetite for great tonal heights and creative bends, trombonistJulian Priester, and drummer Steve Ellington. Together, the band romped through the title track and "New-One," made the gently sweet "First Snow" and "Sunrise," created a rumbling mountain climb on "The Dragon and the Samurai," and toned down their rip current only slightly for the album-closing "You I Love." This was an auspicious debut of Holland's new group-oriented directions, and he's kept killer quintets coming ever since.--Andrew Bartlett