Milt Holland

Milton Holland was an American drummer, percussionist, ethnomusicologist and writer in the Los Angeles music scene. He pioneered the use of African, South American, and Indian percussion styles in jazz, pop and film music, traveling extensively in those regions to collect instruments and learn styles of playing them.

Early life

Holland was born Milton Olshansky in Chicago, Illinois where he attended Theodore Roosevelt High School. His first instrument was the violin which he quickly replaced with Drumset and Percussion. He pursued a passion for jazz drumming and percussion, playing in clubs and shows and on CBS Radio in Chicago. By the age of twelve, he was playing at speakeasies for the likes of Al Capone. He also spent many years on the road in Jazz bands including Raymond Scott.

Career

In the early 1940s, Holland toured and recorded with The Raymond Scott Orchestra.
He studied tabla at University of California, Los Angeles and from 1963 through 1965, with tabla master Pandit Chatur Lal in India, Ramnad Easwaran and others. He traveled through India extensively in the early 1960s and 1970s, and traveled to Brazil and Africa studying popular and tribal rhythms. He was among the first to introduce many of those instruments to western recording.
After moving to Los Angeles in 1946, he played on countless jazz and pop albums, film and TV scores. A sampling of the artists he worked with includes Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan, John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Elmer Bernstein, Ernest Gold, Quincy Jones, Bernard Herrmann, Nat King Cole, Henry Mancini, Loggins and Messina, James Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Laurindo Almeida, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Seals and Crofts, Ray Manzarek, Michael Dinner, Gordon Lightfoot, Ringo Starr, Nelson Riddle, Kenny Loggins, Jim Messina, Poco, Captain Beefheart, David Blue, Rita Coolidge, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Cal Tjader, John Cassavetes, the Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, and Joni Mitchell. He played pandeiro, congas and triangle on Mitchell's hit Big Yellow Taxi and congas and percussion on Light My Fire with José Feliciano. He played all the african percussion instruments in sequences of the soundtrack for the film "The Color Purple".
As part of the so-called "Wrecking Crew," Holland won several gold and platinum records for his contributions. He was perhaps most proud of having helped desegregate the Los Angeles Musicians Union. Eventually, Holland became the first choice for exotic percussion among Los Angeles freelance session musicians.
In films, Holland played bongos and possibly other percussion or drums on the soundtrack of West Side Story and timpani the soundtrack of Silent Running,Tablas and percussion on "Southern Comfort" with Ry Cooder - to name only a tiny fraction of his output. He was one of seven illustrious percussionists, including Shelly Manne, Jack Sperling, and Larry Bunker, who contributed to the soundtrack of the John Wayne film Hatari!, playing African instruments on the soundtrack album, The Sounds of Hatari, and its title track. He played for the soundtrack of the TV miniseries Roots. He also played the musical accompaniment for Tinker Bell in the 1953 Disney cartoon film Peter Pan and for the nose tinkle in the TV series Bewitched.

Death and personal life

Holland died in Los Angeles at the age of 88. He was survived by his wife Mildred Holland, his sons, Richard Holland and Robert Holland, his grandchildren, Damien and Chloe, and Richard's wife Seiko.
His widow Mildred died on October 21, 2015.

Discography

As leader

''Perfect Percussion: The 44 Instruments of Roy Harte & Milt Holland''

As sideman

With Karen AlexanderIsn't It Always Love
With Gregg Allman BandPlayin' Up a Storm
With Laurindo AlmeidaOle! Bossa Nova Acapulco '22 Brazil & Beyond Brazilian Soul
With The Andrews SistersFresh and Fancy Free
With Frankie Avalon...And Now About Mr. Avalon
With Hoyt AxtonLife Machine
With Burt BacharachBlue Note Plays Burt Bacharach
With Joan BaezGracias a la Vida
With David BatteauHappy in Hollywood
With Beaver & KrauseIn a Wild Sanctuary
With Captain BeefheartSafe As Milk Clear Spot
With Louis BellsonLouis Bellson Swings Jule Styne
With Elmer BernsteinThe Man with the Golden Arm
With Elvin BishopRock My Soul
With David BlueStories
With BonarooBonaroo
With Pat BooneGreat! Great! Great!
With Delaney BramlettSome Things Coming
With Brewer & ShipleyDown in L.A.
With Charlie ByrdBest Of The Concord Years
With Glen CampbellSouthern Nights
With David CassidyDreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes
With Buddy ChildersSam Songs
With Stanley ClarkeSchool Days
With Joe CockerJoe Cocker!
With Ray ConniffFriendly Persuasion
With Ry CooderRy Cooder Into the Purple Valley Boomer's Story Paradise and Lunch Chicken Skin Music Bop Till You Drop
With Rita CoolidgeFall Into Spring
With Bing Crosby and Rosemary ClooneyFancy Meeting You Here
With Patti DahlstromYour Place or Mine
With Bobby DarinBobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile
With Ron DaviesU. F. O.
With Jackie DavisHammond Goes Cha-Cha
With Buddy DeFrancoI Hear Benny Goodman and Artie ShawWholly Cats
With Doug DillardThe Banjo Album
With The 5th DimensionThe Age of Aquarius Individually & Collectively Living Together, Growing Together
With The Doobie BrothersWhat Were Once Vices Are Now Habits
With Don EverlyDon Everly
With Percy FaithBlack Magic Woman
With Little FeatSailin' Shoes Dixie Chicken
With Victor FeldmanSecret Of The Andes
With José FelicianoFeliciano! Souled Feliciano/10 to 23 And the Feeling's Good
With Jerry FieldingJerry Fielding and his Orchestra
With Ella FitzgeraldGet Happy! Hello Love
With The Free MovementI've Found Someone of My Own
With The Four FreshmenVoices In Latin
With Art GarfunkelAngel Clare
With Jackie GleasonThe Now Sound For Today's Lovers
With Graham Central StationGraham Central Station
With Arlo GuthrieRunning Down the Road Arlo Guthrie Amigo
With John HallJohn Hall
With Lani HallSun Down Lady Sweet Bird
With Richard HarrisThe Yard Went On Forever
With Joni JamesLike Three O'Clock In The Morning After Hours
With Pete JollySeasons
With Quincy JonesThe Hot Rock OST Roots
With Barbara KeithBarbara Keith
With Stan Kenton

Retrospective

With Al KooperEasy Does It
With Peggy LeeBridge Over Troubled Water
With Claudia LennearPhew
With Ketty LesterLove Letters
With Gordon LightfootSundown Cold on the Shoulder
With Kenny LogginsKeep the Fire
With Henry ManciniThe Latin Sound Of Henry Mancini Mancini '67 Mancini Salutes Sousa
With Johnny Mandel I Want to Live
With Herbie MannThe Magic Flute of Herbie Mann Sound of Mann
With Ray ManzarekThe Golden Scarab
With Mark-AlmondTo The Heart
With Dean MartinYoung Dino
With MelaniePhotograph Seventh Wave
With Jim MessinaOasis
With Loggins & MessinaSittin' In Loggins and Messina Full Sail Mother Lode So Fine Native Sons
With Joni MitchellLadies of the Canyon Court And Spark
With The MonkeesThe Birds, the Bees & the Monkees Instant Replay
With Howdy MoonHowdy Moon
With Chris MorrisChristopher Morris Band
With Johnny NashCelebrate Life
With Randy Newman12 Songs Sail Away Good Old Boys Little Criminals
With Harry NilssonPandemonium Shadow Show Aerial Ballet Harry The Point! Aerial Pandemonium Ballet Son of Schmilsson
With Anita O'DayAnita Sings the Most Complete Signature & London Recordings
With Gabby PahinuiBest Of The Gabby Band
With Van Dyke ParksDiscover America
With Linda PerhacsParallelograms
With Oscar PetersonOscar Peterson and Friends
With Ray PetersonTell Laura I Love Her
With Bill PlummerCosmic Brotherhood
With PocoPickin' Up the Pieces Poco Rose of Cimarron
With Bonnie RaittTakin' My Time
With Frankie RandallGoing The Frankie Randall Way!
With Helen ReddyHelen Reddy
With Martha ReevesMartha Reeves
With Johnny RiversRoad Outside Help
With Shorty RogersBossa Nova
With Rufus with Chaka KhanAsk Rufus
With Pete RugoloThe Original Music of Thriller
With Sanford & TownsendDuo-Glide
With Lalo SchifrinGone with the Wave Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts with Paul HornThere's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On
With Seals and CroftsSummer Breeze Get Closer
With John SebastianTarzana Kid
With Neil SedakaSedaka's Back Laughter in the Rain The Hungry Years
With Bud ShankBossa Nova Jazz Samba with Clare FischerBrasamba! with Clare Fischer and Joe Pass
With Ravi ShankarCharly: Original Soundtrack Recording
With Carly SimonAnother Passenger
With Frank SinatraThe World We Knew Cycles
With Tom SnowTaking It All in Stride Tom Snow
With Phil SpectorBack to Mono (1958–1969)
With Ringo StarrRingo
With Barbra StreisandStoney End
With James TaylorGorilla In the Pocket
With Bill ThomsonFantabulous
With Cal TjaderWest Side Story Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil A Jazz Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim
With Various ArtistsSamba do Avião
With Wendy WaldmanThe Main Refrain
With Jennifer WarnesJennifer
With Nancy WilsonToday, Tomorrow, Forever
With Paul Winter

''Icarus''