John Hollenbeck (musician)

John Hollenbeck
John Hollenbeck at Festival Tonspuren Irsee 2014, Germany
Background information
Born (1968-06-19) June 19, 1968
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums[1]
Years active1992–present
LabelsCuneiform, Intuition, Omnitone, Sunnyside, ECM, Winter & Winter
Websitewww.johnhollenbeck.com

John Hollenbeck is an American composer, drummer, and educator associated with jazz and contemporary classical music.[2] He is the founder of the Claudia Quintet and leader of the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble.[3]

His work has been reviewed in The New York Times and other publications.[4]

Critics have described his music as combining jazz composition with chamber ensemble instrumentation and structured improvisation.[5] His large ensemble recordings A Blessing, eternal interlude, and All Can Work received Grammy Award nominations.[6]

Early life and education

Hollenbeck studied percussion and jazz composition at the Eastman School of Music.[7]

Career

Hollenbeck began leading ensembles in 2001 with the recordings Quartet Lucy, Static Still (with vocalist Theo Bleckmann), and no images.[8]

He founded the Claudia Quintet, which has released albums including Royal Toast (2009) and What Is the Beautiful? (2011).[3]

Hollenbeck also directs the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, whose recordings A Blessing (2005), eternal interlude (2008), and All Can Work (2018) were nominated for Grammy Awards.[6]

His compositions have been recorded by the Orchestre National de Jazz of France, including on the album Shut Up and Dance (2011).[2]

Musical style

In addition to jazz ensembles, Hollenbeck has composed works for wind ensemble, choir, chamber ensembles, and interdisciplinary performance.[7] He has also written percussion scores for works by composer and choreographer Meredith Monk.[2]

Teaching

Hollenbeck taught at the Jazz Institute Berlin from 2005 to 2016 and joined the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in 2015.[7]

Awards and honors

Hollenbeck has received multiple Grammy Award nominations and honors including the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, the ASCAP Jazz Vanguard Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Biography | John Hollenbeck". johnhollenbeck.com.
  2. ^ a b c Harrington, Jim (2014-09-18). "Jazz composer John Hollenbeck blurs lines". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ a b Fordham, John (2016-08-18). "Super Petite review". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Ratcliffe, Ben (2011-04-27). "John Hollenbeck at Le Poisson Rouge". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Himes, Geoffrey. "Post-Jazz Jazz: John Hollenbeck". The New Republic.
  6. ^ a b Ratcliffe, Ben (2018-01-25). "All Can Work Review". The New York Times.
  7. ^ a b c d Rusin, Nick. "John Hollenbeck's Natural Impulses". JazzTimes.
  8. ^ "John Hollenbeck Digital Recordings". DownBeat.


Discography

As leader

  • Static Still with Theo Bleckmann (GPE, 2000)
  • No Images (CRI, 2001)
  • Quartet Lucy (CRI, 2002)
  • Joys & Desires (Intuition, 2005)
  • A Blessing (Omnitone, 2005)
  • Rainbow Jimmies (GPE, 2008)
  • Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside, 2009)
  • Songs I Like a Lot (Sunnyside, 2013)
  • Songs We Like a Lot (Sunnyside, 2015)
  • All Can Work (New Amsterdam, 2018)
  • Songs You Like a Lot (Flexatonic, 2020)
  • Letters to George (Flexatonic, 2023)

With the Claudia Quintet

  • John Hollenbeck/The Claudia Quintet (CRI, 2001)
  • I, Claudia (Cuneiform, 2004)
  • Semi-Formal (Cuneiform, 2005)
  • For (Cuneiform, 2007)
  • Royal Toast (Cuneiform, 2010)
  • What Is the Beautiful? (Cuneiform, 2011)
  • September (Cuneiform, 2013)
  • Super Petite (Cuneiform, 2016)
  • Evidence-Based (Flexatonic, 2021)

As composer (selected recordings)

  • Shut Up and Dance — Orchestre National de Jazz (Bee Jazz, 2011)
  • Impermanence — Meredith Monk (ECM, 2008)
  • The Cloud of Unknowing — Bamberg Symphony Chorus (2001)
  • Demütig Bitten — Windsbacher Knabenchor (2004)
  • Modern Tales — Brussels Vocal Project (2020)

As guest / sideman (selected)

  • Bob Brookmeyer & Kenny Wheeler — Island (Artists House, 2003)
  • Meredith Monk — Songs of Ascension (ECM, 2011)
  • Meredith Monk — On Behalf of Nature (ECM, 2016)
  • Theo Bleckmann — Hello Earth! The Music of Kate Bush (2011)
  • Anna Webber — Binary (2016)

References