Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a British jazz bassist and composer who is a significant representative of avant-garde jazz. Born in Wolverhampton, England, Holland learned to play bass as a child, and spent three years studying the instrument at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. By 1967 he was a regular player at Ronnie Scott's, the premier jazz club in London, backing visiting musicians. He was also involved in the London free improvisation scene around the drummer John Stevens