Bassist Dave Holland has been a recording artist with ECM since the 1970s. His exemplary work as both soloist and sideman notwithstanding, it is his slew of recordings as a leader of his own small groups (the Dave Holland Trio, Quartet, and Quintet) that have made him stand out. Rather than sticking by the tried and true formula of mixing standards and originals, Holland has primarily used his small group releases on ECM to showcase his original material. What Goes Around, his first big band release, continues this trend.

All seven of the compositions featured here are Holland originals. What's more, he has written the big band arrangements himself. Mind you, all of the tunes except "Upswing" have been heard before, on Holland's small group ECM releases; for example, "Razor's Edge" can be found on the album of the same name, "What Goes Around" on Not for Nothin', "Triple Dance" on Triplicate, etc. The inevitable question for each tune is: "Which version is better?" Well, I suppose that is a question of taste. Usually, I am a "book-is-better-than-the-movie" sort of guy -- I prefer the original, more intimate conception of a work rather than its (usually overblown) descendants. Likewise, I am often disappointed to find that a larger arrangement of a tune originally composed for a small group necessarily sacrifices detail and litheness for the sake of amplitude and textural variety. Not so here, much to my surprise. Dave Holland's thoughtful arrangements have recast these compositions to make them like themselves, but more so. In many cases, having additional resources at his disposal has given Holland room to add attractive new layers of musical material to these pieces.

The Big Band's ensemble playing is very tight -- and given that this is their first outing, tightness alone is an accomplishment. The secret to this may lie in the fact that the core of the Dave Holland Big Band are the members of his regular group, the Dave Holland Quintet -- saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Billy Kilson. By building the band outward from the nucleus of this small group, Holland has maintained his Quintet's sensibilities, highlighting interplay and contrapuntal variety instead of massed textures. Indeed, many of the charts revel in the kind of dovetailing and interweaving of lines that calls to mind chamber music rather than a big band.

With so many talented players appearing, it is difficult to pick stand-out moments; what follows should merely be considered a small sampling. Steve Nelson is always a pleasure to hear, but his solo work on "Blues for C.M." is particularly jaw-dropping. In addition, his presence as the principal comping (chordal) instrument in the band (since that there is no pianist or guitarist) gives the proceedings a kind of shimmering feel that only the vibraphone can impart. Andre Hayward's trombone solo on the elegiac "First Snow" is particularly lovely too. The trumpet section as a whole (Earl Gardner, Alex Sipiagin, and Duane Eubanks) deserves three cheers for making the stratospheric parts on "The Razor's Edge" seem like a walk in the park. Billy Kilson also merits kudos for forcefully driving this rhythmically intense tune and aptly punctuating each chordal stab from the ensemble.

"Upswing" seems to be tailor-made for showing off a number of big band signature devices. It begins with a rubato ballad-like opening, followed by a syncopated groove that shows off, in turn, the reed and brass sections at their best. They seem to chase one another like thoroughbred stallions. All the while, the rhythm section of Holland, Kilson and Nelson swings hard underneath, never letting up for even a nanosecond.

While he's a superlative accompanist, Holland's solo turns are equally memorable -- he is one of a small handful of bassists (among them the recently departed and sorely missed Ray Brown) who stake a claim for the upright bass as a melodic instrument and a consistently strong solo voice. His solos on "Blues for C.M." and "Shadowdance" -- the former hard-swinging and driven, the latter spacious, unaccompanied and wide-ranging -- could scarcely be much different, yet both are equally compelling.

For jazz fans, What Goes Around should not be missed. The charts are hot and the playing is tight. Dave Holland has presented a group of steadfastly modern original tunes in a big band context -- and the band still swings hard. What more do you want, besides a follow-up live album?