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Emerald Tears

Emerald Tears is a solo album by bassist Dave Holland, recorded in August 1977 and released on ECM the following year. It is an album of bass solos.

Last revised
Jul 20, 2026
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Emerald Tears
Studio album by
Dave Holland
Released1978
RecordedAugust 1977
StudioTalent Studio
Oslo, Norway
GenreJazz
Length44:35
LabelECM 1109 ST
ProducerManfred Eicher
David Holland chronology
Gateway
(1976) 		Emerald Tears
(1978) 		Life Cycle
(1982)

Emerald Tears is a solo album by bassist Dave Holland, recorded in August 1977 and released on ECM the following year.12 It is an album of bass solos.3

Reception

The AllMusic review by Joslyn Layne stated: "Emerald Tears is a very nice showcase of Dave Holland, and is almost certain to be enjoyed by fans of the upright bass."4

Larry Birnbaum gave the album 3.5 stars in his DownBeat review.5 He wrote, "Holland's rich, varnished tone and throbbing percussive sensitivity are compounded with keen intelligence and a brooding streak of romantic melancholy".5 However, he found, "Alone in the glare of the spotlight, Holland somehow manages to remain in shadow and one is neverquite free of the sensation that this is a Music Minus One album turned inside out".5

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar4
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CDStarStarStar6
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record GuideStarStarStarHalf star7
DownBeatStarStarStarHalf star5

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dave Holland, except as noted.

Side I
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Spheres" 5:58
2."Emerald Tears" 6:31
3."Combination" 5:18
4."B-40/RS-4-W/M23-6K"Anthony Braxton5:15
Total length:23:02
Side II
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Under Redwoods" 6:38
2."Solar"Miles Davis6:17
3."Flurries" 4:34
4."Hooveling" 4:04
Total length:21:33 44:35

Personnel

References

References

  1. ECM discography Archived 2011-08-30 at the Wayback Machine accessed 9 September 2011
  2. "Dave Holland Discography". Jazz Disco. jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  3. Pareles, Jon (15 April 1984). "Top Jazz from Dave Holland". The New York Times. p. H25.
  4. Layne, J. AllMusic Review accessed 9 September 2011
  5. Birnbaum, Larry (8 March 1979). "Record Reviews". DownBeat. 46 (5): 26.
  6. Cook, Richard. "The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD". p. 752. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  7. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 105. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
External links