Dave Holland New Quartet

Join us at 5:30 pm for Meet the NEA Jazz Master: Dave Holland in conversation with A.B. Spellman, retired National Endowment for the Arts Deputy Chairman, jazz historian, and poet.

The New Mexico Jazz Festival is a collaborative project between the Lensic and Outpost Performance Space. See the full festival schedule here. 

Renowned bassist, composer, bandleader, and NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland brings his new quartet of masters to the Lensic, each an established bandleader and composer: alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist  Kris Davis, and drummer Nasheet Waits. Innovative, sophisticated, virtuosic, and totally unforgettable.

Holland is among the most versatile and prolific bassists and composers in jazz history. His “passion for musical expression of all styles and dedication to creating consistently innovative ensembles” has spanned a professional career of more than fifty years and he has been a guiding light on acoustic and electric bass, earning top honors, including multiple Grammy Awards and nominations. Holland’s virtuosic technique and rhythmic feel, which is “informed by an open-eared respect of a formidable spread of styles and sounds,” is widely revered and remains much in demand.

Having first rose to prominence in groundbreaking groups led by Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Sam Rivers, Betty Carter, Herbie Hancock and Anthony Braxton as well as collaborations with Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, and John McLaughlin, Holland also pioneered the avant-garde quartet, Circle, as well as his own acclaimed big band. His latest project, the Dave Holland New Quartet, features alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist Kris Davis, and drummer Nasheet Waits, each of whom are established masters, bandleaders, and composers in their own right. Downbeat writes, “the commander-in-chief of a first-rate, cutting-edge group has to be everything: creative genius and effective entrepreneur, power player and diplomat, steeped in experience but fresh and unjaded… Few current leaders exemplify the role as well as bassist Dave Holland.”

Event Sponsors Jack Kotz and Nicholas Potter Bookseller

Major New Mexico Jazz Festival Support City of Albuquerque—Mayor Tim Keller & the Arts & Cultural Department; Albuquerque City Council; Dino’s Safe Haven Concert Series; Heritage Hotels & Resorts; Hutton Broadcasting; Kaman Foundation; Jack Kotz; La Cumbre Brewing Company; Jean McCray & Phyllis Subin; Miriam Ray in memory of Marcus Ray; National Endowment for the Arts; Southwest Gastroenterology Associates; Western Jazz Presenters (WJPN); and more.