The expectations of the "Gentleman of Jazz" were high. His performance at the UT Connewitz was not only a stage for his first-class skills, but also showed that jazz people are sometimes a little relaxed with their greatest.

On the sidewalk in front of the UT Connewitz, a crowd of people is pressing close together. The weather is bad and the doors of the UT are locked. Nevertheless, the mood is not bad. On the contrary, as I approach the crowd, the joyful excitement of those waiting literally jumps out at me. Because Dave Holland is playing with his trio today - it's easy to put up with a bit of drizzle. 

The British bassist has been one of the greats in jazz for decades. Accordingly, the audience patiently waiting to get in is a colourful mix - from jackets to Adidas, from very old to very young - he is known and revered everywhere. 

What is already being talked about as the highlight of this year's Jazz Days has not yet begun when something else starts opposite, on the other side of Wolfgang-Heinze-Straße: a Schrammel punk concert can be heard from the Zwille. One or two of the people waiting are already starting to mock it ("Who had the idea to do something like that here today?"/ "But that's overdriven." / "If I were the neighbor there..."), then the doors are finally opened and the - somewhat embarrassing - confrontation between the jazz people and the unabashed desire for noise and pogo from next door is over. 

Everyone pushes leisurely through the bottleneck of the entrance and fills the beautiful rooms of the UT. Inside, there is a general reunion: Hands are shaken, shoulders are patted, anecdotes and stories are exchanged. Many familiar faces are there, always the same noses... 

Dave Holland is joined today by alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and drummer Nasheet Waits. When the trio finally enters the stage, Holland is greeted with warm applause. He has played in Leipzig many times and quite a few people in the audience have been there before. 

The trio begins to play - lightly and cleverly - and as the music picks up speed and unfolds in its tension and complexity, the expectations of this evening are fulfilled: Every entry is spot on, every phrase succeeds effortlessly. The music is powerful and rousing and soon I find myself swaying and bobbing in a swaying and bobbing crowd.  

The artists on stage are all great and Holland clearly enjoys working with them. Waits shines on the drums: sometimes he stretches the beat lasciviously, only to bring it back with force the next moment and then really bang it in at another point. Shaw on the alto saxophone skillfully puts his foot down, allowing the melodies to flow stubbornly, break and collide playfully with the double bass and drums. Holland and Waits repeatedly exchange respectful glances, because Shaw is really good. 

After a lot of back and forth, I found out that it's better to stand on the right than on the left, because the bar is always disturbingly loud. But even there, it gets really quiet when Holland starts his solo. The collective silence that now prevails so that the soft nuances of his instrument can also be heard clearly has something reverent about it... Discreet and reserved, then forcefully powerful, Holland shows us his skills and effortlessly improvises elegant phrases and sophisticated turns on the bass. 

I saw Dave Holland play live for the first time today and my expectations of the "Gentleman of Jazz" were high. They were more than fulfilled this evening. Just being able to watch the musicians enjoy playing together for an hour and a half and their mutual respect and appreciation made me very emotional and happy. It was a special evening. The look in the audience and the long-lasting applause show that I am not alone in this assessment.   

And yet: some of them seem all too serene, all too routine in their participation in the who's who of the Leipzig jazz scene. Such an expected success no longer seems to generate too much enthusiasm there. And so those who are left a little dissatisfied after this evening with their arms folded are perhaps advised to drop by the Zwille again afterwards. Sure, there's less high-class music there: less jazz, but also less stick in the ass!