The jazz phrase “in the pocket” can mean simply keeping good time, or it can suggest an intuitive connection between members that allows each musician to anticipate the moves of his or her band mates. On the superb Critical Mass, the Dave Holland Quintet proves itself worthy of both definitions. Double bassist Holland, sax player Chris Potter, drummer Nate Smith, trombonist Robin Eubanks, and vibraphonist Steve Nelson play with an ESP few jazz groups achieve, and they make it sound effortless. Critical Mass sails through its New Orleans-inflected tunes like a marathon swimmer — active, but graceful. This energy originates with Holland, whose bass undergirds the clean timbre of the horns and sunny sounds of the vibraphone. On the Indian-inspired melody of ‘Secret Garden’, the vibraphone and horns, create a polyrhythm that both grounds and destabilizes the listener. Such a feeling typifies Critical Mass, a nearly flawless album whose inventiveness is only outweighed by its serenity.
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