Creativity Quote by Dave Holland

In jazz, “style” is the tempting trap: the shiny surface you can practice, polish, and sell. Dave Holland flips it into something more demanding. He treats style not as an aesthetic accessory but as a byproduct of identity. The line lands because it demotes the thing most young musicians chase first (a recognizable sound) and elevates the harder work underneath: making choices so consistently truthful that a sound becomes inevitable.

Holland’s context matters. As a bassist who’s moved from Miles Davis’ electric churn to decades of ensemble-leading, he’s lived inside scenes where imitation is both apprenticeship and a career hazard. Jazz education can turn “develop your style” into a checklist of licks, gear, and mannerisms. Holland’s intent is quietly corrective: don’t confuse the accent for the language. Your “voice” isn’t just tone or phrasing; it’s your priorities under pressure - how you place time, when you leave space, what you listen for, whose ideas you support, which risks you take when the harmony tilts.

The subtext is almost moral. A voice implies accountability: you can’t hide behind fashion or virtuosity because every note reveals what you value. By framing style as “the whole point” only insofar as it leads to voice, Holland suggests a paradox jazz musicians know well: the more you chase uniqueness, the more generic you sound. Voice emerges when you stop performing originality and start telling the truth, repeatedly, in public, with other people listening back.