Impact
Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet
Independent IMD108 (steveholtmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-steve-holt-jazz-impact-quintet-impact)
Truly brimming with life, this release delivers on its album art and audacious title with a sound that is not grandiose or bombastic per se but makes an enduring impact on the listener. The intangibles that come with being a great bandleader may not necessarily be immediately apparent in many recordings, but this one feels like an exception. These songs have a real, ever-present sense of direction to them, and to say that everything about the quintet’s approach to these tunes feels airtight would be an understatement.
Steve Holt’s keyboard playing is very prominent in the mix and this emphasis on harmonic information and rhythmic interplay serves as an anchor for everything that ensues within these intricate compositions. The B section of Second Voyage, when Holt briefly doubles what Kevin Turcotte and Perry White have in the melody, is a moment that conveys real heft, beyond just being extremely pretty. Meanwhile, the head of The Unveiling is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it hail of countermelodies and shots, with Holt’s left-hand doubling of Duncan Hopkins’ bass pedal feeling as essential an aspect of the piece as anything else.
Owing to the precision and grace of the playing, this music is always fleet-footed (even the ballads) yet there are moments of tenderness prevalent throughout. Again, this album delivers on its title in a very holistic, diverse and abundant sense.
