[Dan Banquer]

To all:
Run, do not walk, do not pass go or collect 200.00 and get yourself to the nearest record store and purchase Monterey Suites by the Dave Holland big band. Great musicans, great compositions, excellent arranging, and a top notch recording don't happen  often enough on this planet.
            d.b.

[neilr11]

His previous effort, "What Goes Around" is fantastic also. Chris Potter who is in his regular quintet also, is the fellow who played the wicked sax solo in Steely Dan's Two against Nature CD.

[BeeBop]

I have 'What Goes Around'. Good stuff. I'll keep an eye out for 'Monterey Suites'.

[jakepunk]

The Monterey Suite is available on the 2005 release, "Overtime".  I am a big fan of the lead trombonist, Robin Eubanks.  Track #6 ("Mental Images") is a fun big band arrangement of Eubanks' composition from his CD of the same name.

[jakepunk]

I also picked up "Dave Holland - Selected Recordings" at the same time as "Overtime".  While reading the liner notes for "Selected Recordings" tonight, I noticed there is a picture of the big band in the recording studio.  They are arranged in a semi-circle with individual mics.  That explains why "Overtime" sounds the way it does.  I was puzzled when I first listened to "Overtime" because it doesn't sound like a typical big band mix where the musicians are 3 dimensionally behind one another in sections.  The saxes are at the extreme left channel during playback, and the musicians pan 1-dimensionally across the sound stage (with the rhythm section overlayed).  After seeing the liner notes photo, I can see that my system faithfully reproduces that spacial arrangement.  That's pretty cool!  

(BTW, Bob Mintzer's "Incredible Journey" is recorded with the big band encircling a single microphone in the center of the studio.)