Share in musical creation with the Overtone Quartet

Grammy Award-winning bassist Dave Holland, who left England in 1968, performs now alongside a select group of three acclaimed jazz veterans, all masters of their instruments, band leaders and composers in their own right.

Jason Moran has been described in the Los Angeles Times as “a startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation.” Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist Chris Potter has been cited by critics and fans as the finest saxophone player of his generation. Finally, the much-in-demand drummer Eric Harland has recorded more than 30 albums and toured extensively.

For Dave Holland, the Kay Theatre at U.Md. will be a first, and he looks forward to performing there, especially with the quartet, all of whom he calls “wonderful musicians.”

“We’re all composers in this group; we’ve all led bands ourselves and we’ve all written music which we’ll be performing [together,”] Holland noted. “You’ll hear a broad spectrum of music.”

And a great deal of improvisation, as well. One of the key things about the success of the Overtone Quartet, he feels, is their interaction with each other as a very closely knit group of musicians.

“One of the things people are struck by is the closeness and the intimacy of the communication that’s going on onstage,” Holland continued. “I think that jazz is a very communal music and represents the idea of a community coming together and sharing the act of creation. That’s very much how I see this music and what it symbolizes.”

The symbolism, however, is different for each person, and the quartet’s jazz is, according to Holland, meant to be interpreted through the listener’s own feelings and individual experiences.

“I never try to tell people what to feel when they listen to the music; it’s a very personal experience and one that changes as you change.”