Another Land

When Dave Holland played to huge festival crowds in Miles Davis’ first electric bands, he played Fender electric bass (and looked rather like an Allman Brother). But upright bass was the instrument on which he built his iconic career in the decades to come. It’s notable, therefore, that Holland plays electric on three cuts from Another Land, a groove-intensive trio session with guitarist Kevin Eubanks and drummer Obed Calvaire.

The electric bass tracks are “Grave Walker,” “Mashup,” and “The Village,” all by Eubanks. Holland’s instrument gives them a bounce and momentum that prompts Eubanks’ gnarliest guitar work of the date. The two share a fruitful history: Eubanks played on Holland’s 1990 landmark, Extensions, and more recently on 2013’s Prism. As if to honor that musical bond, the guitarist offers Holland’s enigmatic “Quiet Fire” here as a solo guitar piece, bringing rich harmony to a song that originally didn’t include chords at all (it appeared on Holland’s 1988 trio classic, Triplicate, with just alto sax, bass, and drums).

Playing without a pick, Eubanks achieves with thumb and fingers an astonishing range of timbres and stylistic borrowings, from aggressive slap-funk to biting blues rock to the mellifluous chord-soloing he pulls off on Holland’s “Passing Time.” His assertive six-string personality plays a defining role in the project. Holland sounds in top form, and his chemistry with the agile and subtle Calvaire, 35 years his junior, is infectious — not least on Calvaire’s own “Gentle Warrior,” a bright 5/8 workout with a folk-like melody and mysterious air.