Jazz Articles about John Hollenbeck

About John Hollenbeck

Album Review

GEORGE: Looking for Consonance

Read "Looking for Consonance" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 26, 2026

The thing about George--named after George Floyd--is that it allows drummer John Hollenbeck to do almost anything he likes. On the group's second release, Looking for Consonance, he blends elements of prog, avant jazz, pop, ambient, folk, noise and more into an intoxicating, sometimes inscrutable, whole. To abet him in the project, he has recruited an unconventional electro-acoustic lineup of reedist Anna Webber, the vocals and synthesizers of Sarah Rossy and Chiquita Magic, all unchanged from the debut.

Album Review

GEORGE: Looking for Consonance

Read "Looking for Consonance" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
July 5, 2026

John Hollenbeck has spent much of the past three decades blurring the boundaries between jazz, chamber music and improvisation. A Grammy-nominated composer and bandleader known for his work with the Claudia Quintet and the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, he enters a new chapter with an electro-acoustic ensemble named after George Floyd. Its debut recording, Letters to George (Out of Your Head Records, 2023), introduced a socially-conscious aesthetic that Looking for Consonance further explores. Joined by saxophonist and flutist ...

Radio & Podcasts

GEORGE... John Hollenbeck + Anna Webber... Craig Taborn, Tomeka Reid and Ches Smith Archive Dreams and Helen Sung debuts her Big Band

by Hobart Taylor
May 13, 2026

Homage to Wayne Shorter from GEORGE (John Hollenbeck/Anna Webber), early Wayne Shorter with Lee Morgan (The Young Lions re-mastered) and Helen Sung premieres her new big band! Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Emmet Cohen/Jeremy Pelt “Compassion" from Universal Truth (Mack Avenue) 00:08 The Young Lions /Bobby Timmons/Lee Morgan/Wayne Shorter"Scourn'" from Seeds of Sin (Craft) 05:35 Dawn Clement} Once Upon a Summertime)" from <em>Dear Ms. Dearie</em> (Origin) 12:26</li> <li> {{m: Yvonne Rogers “Mismatch" from The Button Jar (Pyroclastic) 17:20 Craig ...

Album Review

Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far

Read "Of the Near and Far" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
December 3, 2025

Vibraphonist Patricia Brennan continues to redefine her creative horizons on Of The Near And Far, a fourth leadership date that expands her sonic blueprint without tempering the imagination that has marked her rise. Each of its predecessors has been completely different, from the horn-rich Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic, 2024), to the percussion-centered More Touch (Pyroclastic, 2022), to her debut, the solo Maquishti (Valley Of Search, 2021). She avoids familiar paths once again here, writing for an accomplished ten-strong unit which merges ...

Album Review

Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far

Read "Of the Near and Far" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
November 17, 2025

In un paio d'anni, Patricia Brennan è balzata ai vertici del jazz più innovativo. Se già il magistrale e pluripremiato Breaking Stretch (Pyroclastic Records, 2024) era un salto avanti rispetto ai precedenti More Touch (Pyroclastic Records, 2022) e Maquishti, stavolta la vibrafonista d'origine messicana presenta un'opera ancor più sorprendente, cambiando organico in un'esplorazione ambiziosa e audace. «Sono sempre stata affascinata dal cielo e dalle stelle--dice la Brennan. Se guardi attentamente, tutto può essere collegato attraverso forme geometriche. Ho ...

Album Review

Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far

Read "Of the Near and Far" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
October 24, 2025

Peerless, vibe-savvy vibraphonist Patricia Brennan minces no fools from the get go, launching Of The Near And Far with the kick-ass lead single (singles? They still make singles? In this day? In this age?) “Antilla." A new jazz standard by any stretch of the imagination, “Antilla" is a sleek, hypnotic beauty that gears you into the groove and holds you there. It is the first yin to the yang of Of The Near And Far. On the heels of ...

Album Review

Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far

Read "Of the Near and Far" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
October 17, 2025

Not one to rest on her laurels, vibraphonist/marimbist Patricia Brennan has continued to challenge herself and her listeners with each stop in the studio. Her tireless dedication to her craft is undoubtedly one of the reasons for her meteoric rise in the creative jazz community, which could be charted particularly after 2021 when she released her propitious solo disc, Maquishti (Valley of Search) . Since then she has had barely a moment's pause, with More Touch (Pyroclastic) coming in 2022 ...