The Marty Holoubek Quintet

マーティ・ホロベック・クゥインテット
Apollo (Shimokitazawa)
March 24, 2019

Kei Matsumaru 松丸契 – alto sax
Akihiro Yoshimoto 吉本章紘 – tenor sax
Grant Richards グラント・リチャーズ – piano
Kira Sota 吉良 創太 – drums
Marty Holoubek マーティ・ホロベック – bass
Special guest
Toku トク- flugelhorn
James Macauley ジェームス・マコーレー - trombone

An evening of Australian jazz is a rare treat outside of Australia, but Holoubek and quintet and guests offered a rich serving of great jazz from down under that felt very up and over. The quintet plowed right into good, solid jazz from the first song and kept the music rolling forward for two robust sets.

“Snack Bar,” an original based on his recent experience in Japan, got the band working together, especially opening up with the sax work of Matsumaru and Yoshimoto. Their playing style pushed the boundaries of each song while staying rooted in the feel and structure. Their different sounds formed a frame around each other and crisscrossed the thick rhythms and chords, searching and exploring.

Richards added great solos to every song, but served up tasty comping that supported and invigorated every other solo. It was one of his last shows in Japan before heading back for more music studies in the U.S., so the poignancy came out not only in his playing, but in the feeling of the other members of the band. He’ll be missed in the Japanese jazz scene, but the evening was a great farewell.

Holoubek is a natural leader and though he’s only been in Japan for a relatively short time, he feels like a solid fixture. The sense of getting the quintet to drive towards fascinating directions—together—made each of the songs gripping and pleasing. His intro on “Let Others Be the Judge of You” showed his chops in a relaxed way that led right into the double sax lead line with relaxed cool.

The connect between Holoubek and drummer Sota made a tensile, springy platform on which everyone kept launching great solos. But at other times, they both soloed like another horn, with fresh ideas, melodic thrusts and endless energy.

Selections of other Australian jazz, such as compositions by Andrea Keller, made the quintet go deeper and deeper into the special feeling of differently experienced musicians finding common ground. The compositions made that easy, but it was more the way each of the musicians worked with the compositions that made the music so powerful.

With the addition of special guests Toku on flugelhorn and Macauley on trombone, the walls of Apollo felt too small to contain their combined exuberance. A minor blues encore took off and flew, leaving the question unanswered why there aren’t more Aussie jazz players heading up to Tokyo?