Jazz Articles about Holly Hofmann

Holly Hofmann: Minor Miracle

by Jack Bowers
July 13, 2005

The flute is a hard sell for a small core of jazz purists who'd rather it were confined to the precincts of the local symphony orchestra. At best a change of pace, at worst a nuisance. Those who feel that way had best stop reading at this point while I sing the praises of Holly Hofmann, a flutist (or is it flautist?) with a pleasing sound, exemplary technique and irrepressible swing in her soul.

Hofmann's latest album (and tenth overall) ...

Holly Hofmann: Minor Miracle

by Jim Santella
March 5, 2005

Oozing with genuine charm, flutist Holly Hofmann interprets mainstream jazz the way it's supposed to be. Her view of the world has been seasoned by mentors and musical partners such as Ray Brown, Mike Wofford, Bill Cunliffe, and John Clayton.

Hofmann's father, a jazz guitarist, influenced her career choices, and her parents ensured her a thorough grounding in the fine arts. She received her first flute at age five. While studying with Maurice Sharp, the principal flutist of ...

Holly Hofmann: Minor Miracle

by Michael P. Gladstone
December 2, 2004

Holly Hofmann has been recording steadily since the late 1980s and her credibility among musicians and jazz critics secured an award for her in the “Rising Star" category in the Downbeat Critics Jazz Poll as a flutist. Her latest outing is with her husband and frequent musical partner, Mike Wofford (piano), plus Peter Washington (bass) and Victor Lewis (drums). Hofmann has appeared in a variety of musical settings over the past fifteen years for a number of labels like Capri, ...

Holly Hofmann: Minor Miracle

by Dan McClenaghan
November 1, 2004

I'm indebted to Holly Hofmann. I had very little interest in jazz flute until I encountered First Date (Capri Records, '03) by Flutology, a set that featured a front line trio of flutists Hofmann, Frank Wess and Ali Ryerson. The opener, the classic high octane “Be Bop," knocked me out. It seemed such an “un-flutey" number, but they just cooked on it. This ear-opener, an excellent disc all around, had me soon out searching the record racks for Herbie Mann ...

Holly Hofmann: Flutopia

by Dave Nathan
October 1, 2000

P>This is the third album Holly Hofmann has recorded for Azica Records. All of them team Hofmann and with Bill Cunliffe and his Hammond B3 organ. Hofmann is one of the few who started with the flute and stuck with it as her only instrument, rather than it being an adjunct to the sax.

The flute is jazz is a relatively recent development. It was only after 1950 that it was regularly as part of jazz groups. Wayman Carter was ...