The Quintet was very generous at this performance, as leader Dave Holland said, “We have a new CD out, it’s called Critical Mass, we will be playing many of the songs from the new album. The first song we’re going to play is called “Ebb and Flow.” The generosity I referred to is that of these masterful musicians — sharing their virtuosity, spirit and passion for the music. Robin Eubanks on trombone is without a doubt, one of the best contemporary trombone players. A J.J. Johnson influenced horn player, sounding as close to a trumpet as is possible, he put on a clinic that was other-worldly.

Trombone played as a trumpet is a new twist for me. The first song was at a rapid meter and was the perfect vehicle for Eubanks to showcase his incredible playing. He would pull off some wicked sounding runs, fast slides, hit growling, dynamo humming notes that were just smoking, an appassionato performer. Eubanks on stage is tantamount to working with dynamite, an explosion of imaginative sound creation. In a magical manner, the song transitioned into a laid back, mellow groove and set up an amazing pizzicato solo by Holland. This was the start of a concert that was to be, of the blown away variety.

There were many amazing moments. Songs performed included “Easy Did It”. Holland introduced the song as “A song dedicated to the people of New Orleans.” The song had a bluesy feel to it, the pace gradually built to double time driven by drummer Nate Smith who laid down a rolling thunder, a storm warning — impossible not to notice. Chris Potter on tenor saxophone let loose with his trademark full tone, a mix of west coast cool and New York hip, fantastic lead playing. Layers of sound were created and the band backed up the rhythm with a huge full sound. The song would break to a slow ending, the blues based metre that started the song. Steve Nelson would solo on vibraphone, a very accomplished player, playing primarily single mallet technique during the solo but four mallet technique most of the time. Nelson would also play marimba on some of the songs, adding nice effect to the intro of “Last Minute Man.”

The song “Vicissitudes”, a Chris Potter composition, was a highlight moment with Potter pushing it to the limit. Potter plays magnificently in the mid and high registers. He plays rapid runs and offsets them with amazing dynamics. He’ll play a triplet — pause, repeat the figure — pause, fire off a run of 32nd notes for about two bars, followed by a glide from the mid to the high register, then he’ll bring the tune back to earth with a well placed honking sound, and a lightning fast arpeggio back to triplet — pause, triplet — pause. He gives his head a shake, walks away from the mic and glances back at Dave Holland who has a huge smile on his face and nods an affirmative at Potter. This all takes place in less than a bar, the audience erupts, applauding their approval for a job well done. Bravo.