Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, The Monterey Quartet: Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival
[MJF Records]
The Monterey Jazz Festival isn’t only one of the country’s most venerable annual jazz events, it’s also the basis for decades of historic musical collaborations. Formed for the 2007 festival, this astounding quartert features compositions from each member. The result is ultra-sophisticated contemporary jazz played at the highest level. Of particular note is each member’s comfort with odd meters and polyrhythmic phrasing. The ever-shifting rhythmic landscape is fresh and consistently engaging—the perfect framework for the deep and complex harmony. Dave Holland is his usual hard-grooving self, thoroughly unfazed by each tune’s countless twists and turns.
- Jonathan Herrera