From the bride: "The music was wonderful! We could not have asked for a better band. Our guests were really impressed; the Uptown Society Orchestra really made our reception special."
Rick Holland Quartet
"Rick Holland’s music is certainly not radical or innovative, but is some of the best group playing in its genre of Jazz Bop." - Robert D. Rusch, President of Cadence Records
Listen to the Rick Holland Quartet with Harmonicist Hendrik Meurkens playing "Someday My Prince Will Come"
Listen to RHQ with Hendrik Meurkens playing "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.
"Rick Holland is one of my favorite improvisers and has one of the most beautiful flugelhorn sounds I've heard. He creates smooth, fluid, melodic lines, reminiscent of Chet Baker.- Kerry Strayer, Freelance Jazz Artist, Kansas City Mo.
"At the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts we have had a number of occasions to use the services of the Rick Holland Quartet. Whether for a small concert hall setting, a reception in one of our galleries, or as a headline draw for our 'Art and All That Jazz Series,' Rick Holland's work has consistently met the highest of performance standards for our audiences. When the subject of jazz comes up at our museum, our members, visitors and patrons inevitably want to know the answer to one question: "When is the next performance by Rick Holland?" I would highly recommend this innovative artist as one of the class acts to grace our institution and the Kalamazoo community through his work as a performer, a writer and a recording artist." -- Gordon Bolar, Development Director, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
"We are looking forward to having the Rick Holland Quartet appear at our Food, Wine & All That Jazz event on October 24th in Grand Rapids,Michigan. This event is one of the most highly anticipated social gatherings in West Michigan with attendance nearing the 1000 mark. We have people who come to the event from as far away as Chicago, Detroit and Traverse City to taste a wide selection of gourmet foods with over 250 domestic wines and listen to great jazz music. The group's appearance adds immensely to the ambiance of the evening and compliments the food and wine offerings, all to help raise funds to support public television and radio. This is a great group, and we've asked them to play this event on multiple occasions. The people love them!" -Gary Kesler Special Events Coordinator, WGVU, Grand Rapids, MI
"As an agency that books entertainment for our clients with some frequency, we were extremely impressed with both the professionalism and quality of the Rick Holland Jazz Quartet. They were easy to work with and sounded great. They made our event stand out."
-Dustin Hewit
Howell, Liberatore & Wickham, Inc.
Elmira, NY
"The broad repertoire his groups encompass and the care with which he deals with musical details are a welcome exception in this age of super specialization and an obsession with quick results at the expense of real quality. - Bill Dobbins, The Eastman School of Music
"You get the feeling from Holland’s recordings, that Holland and his compatriots are not only talented musicians, but fully formed human beings with wit, style and elegance---folks whom you would enjoy sharing a fine dinner and stimulating conversation.Bill Barton, Green Mountain Jazz Messenger
Quotes from Cadence Records, regarding Rick's 4tet recordings:
"You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To"
To characterize Rick Holland's trumpet as mellifluous might be an understatement. On his latest outing he brings along Hendrik Meurkens, arguably one of the 2 finest harmonicisists in Jazz on a warm, mellow - but engaging - program.
'Positive Settings'
A follow-up to Rick Holland’s first Cadence Jazz record (#1083). This is mainstream Bop but far from formulaic, displaying a soul that is direct and honest in its delivery. Simply a lovely set of music which never panders to the saccharine.
'There Will Never Be Another You'
-A beautifully lyrical recording well in the Bop mainstream. Not revolutionary, but it sure is well stated and musically artful.