John Hollenbeck (musician)
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John Hollenbeck | |
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.jpg) John Hollenbeck at Festival Tonspuren Irsee 2014, Germany | |
| Background information | |
| Born | June 19, 1968 Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums[1] |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Cuneiform, Intuition, Omnitone, Sunnyside, ECM, Winter & Winter |
| Website | www |
John Hollenbeck is an American-Canadian[2] composer, drummer, and educator associated with jazz and contemporary classical music.[3] He is the founder of the Claudia Quintet and leader of the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble.[4]
His work has been reviewed in The New York Times and other publications.[5]
Critics have described his music as combining jazz composition with chamber ensemble instrumentation and structured improvisation.[6] His large ensemble recordings A Blessing, eternal interlude, and All Can Work received Grammy Award nominations.[7]
Early life and education
[edit]Hollenbeck studied percussion and jazz composition at the Eastman School of Music.[8]
Career
[edit]Hollenbeck began leading ensembles in 2001 with the recordings Quartet Lucy, Static Still (with vocalist Theo Bleckmann), and no images.[9]
He founded the Claudia Quintet, which has released albums including Royal Toast (2009) and What Is the Beautiful? (2011).[4]
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.[7]
His compositions have been recorded by the Orchestre National de Jazz of France, including on the album Shut Up and Dance (2011).[3]
Musical style
[edit]In addition to jazz ensembles, Hollenbeck has composed works for wind ensemble, choir, chamber ensembles, and interdisciplinary performance.[8] He has also written percussion scores for works by composer and choreographer Meredith Monk.[3]
Teaching
[edit]Hollenbeck taught at the Jazz Institute Berlin from 2005 to 2016 and joined the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in 2015.[8]
Awards and honors
[edit]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.[8]
Discography
[edit]As leader
[edit]- 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
[edit]- 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)
[edit]- 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)
[edit]- 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
[edit]- ↑ "Biography | John Hollenbeck". johnhollenbeck.com.
- ↑ Siegel, Glenn (24 March 2026). "Pop Gets Complicated: John Hollenbeck's GEORGE". Jazz Shares. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 Harrington, Jim (2014-09-18). "Jazz composer John Hollenbeck blurs lines". The Boston Globe.
- 1 2 Fordham, John (2016-08-18). "Super Petite review". The Guardian.
- ↑ Ratcliffe, Ben (2011-04-27). "John Hollenbeck at Le Poisson Rouge". The New York Times.
- ↑ Himes, Geoffrey. "Post-Jazz Jazz: John Hollenbeck". The New Republic.
- 1 2 Ratcliffe, Ben (2018-01-25). "All Can Work Review". The New York Times.
- 1 2 3 4 Rusin, Nick. "John Hollenbeck's Natural Impulses". JazzTimes.
- ↑ "John Hollenbeck Digital Recordings". DownBeat.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1968 births
- Living people
- Avant-garde jazz drummers
- American jazz drummers
- American avant-garde musicians
- Avant-garde jazz composers
- Drummers from New York City
- American jazz composers
- American male jazz composers
- 20th-century American drummers
- American male drummers
- Jazz musicians from New York (state)
- 20th-century American male musicians
- Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
- Eastman School of Music alumni
- Academic staff of McGill University
