Jazz Articles about Laurence Hobgood

Jazz and Poetry: Benjamin Boone, Laurence Hobgood, Jane Ira Bloom, Matt Wilson

by Russell Perry
August 11, 2020

Since the Charles Mingus--Langston Hughes collaborations in the 1950s, there has always been a durable synergy between Jazz and Poetry. Recently, Poet Laureates Robert Pinsky and Philip Levine have recorded with pianist Laurence Hobgood and alto-saxophonist Benjamin Boone. Bassist Steve Swallow and poet Robert Creeley collaborated on several projects as have tenor player David Murray and Amiri Baraka. In 2017, two projects used the poetry of American masters as the inspiration for jazz suites. Drummer Matt Wilson recorded a project ...

Laurence Hobgood: Tesseterra

by Roger Farbey
April 12, 2019

"Jazz with strings" is a phrase that sometimes invokes a heart-sink feeling amongst reviewers. Happily this is not one of those occasions. Laurence Hobgood has released a half dozen records under his own name but many more for vocalist Kurt Elling with whom he's been musical director, co-producer and accompanist for over twenty years. During that time Elling was a nominee for his three Blue Note releases and both Hobgood and Elling were named 1995 Chicagoans of the year in ...

Laurence Hobgood: When the Heart Dances

by AAJ Italy Staff
November 2, 2009

Questo disco è pura seduzione. Trasuda erotismo da ogni nota. Va da sé che non ha poi tanto bisogno di essere raccontato né razionalizzato: è roba che brucia romanticismo. Ti assale e pietrifica gli arti all'istante. È una droga salvifica. È respiro fatto ostaggio: il suo riscatto è solo l'ascolto. I “cuori danzanti" non aspettano altro che il volume si alzi docilmente e che le musiche inizino a volteggiare. Laurence Hobgood non sarà Bill Evans, né Keith Jarrett o Brad ...

Laurence Hobgood: When the Heart Dances

by Joel Roberts
September 4, 2009

Laurence Hobgood is one of those artists whose undeniable talents beg the question, “Why isn't he better known?" In Hobgood's case, part of the reason may be that he's spent most of the past decade and a half in a supportive role, as pianist and musical director for singer Kurt Elling--a pretty good gig, but one that may have prevented him from garnering more attention. At any rate, it's no exaggeration to call the 49-year-old Chicago-based musician one of the ...

Laurence Hobgood: When The Heart Dances

by Warren Allen
July 17, 2009

The old adage of “less is more" shows up more than it should, but every now and then proves itself remarkably apt in the world of music. When The Heart Dances features pianist Laurence Hobgood scaling back the typical rhythm trio to just himself and bass maestro Charlie Haden. And while it's hardly the first time the setup has been tried, it works to great effect with these two.

The result is mellow but nuanced music. An opener like “Que ...

Laurence Hobgood: When The Heart Dances

by C. Michael Bailey
July 11, 2009

Kurt Elling's long-time pianist, Laurence Hobgood, is no stranger to leading a recording session. He has released four previous recordings on Naim Jazz in the last 10 years. He is a durable pianist, a bit of a cross between Red Garland and George Winston, with a smidge of Bill Evans thrown in for seasoning. On When the Heart Dances, Hobgood duets with bassist Charlie Haden and is joined by Elling on three of the eleven selections.

The jazz duet is ...

John Moulder: Trinity

by John Kelman
October 17, 2006

While it's possible to overstate the importance of parallel careers, it's difficult to avoid touching on the subject when it comes to John Moulder. The ordained priest has also managed an active musical career in Chicago as a guitarist, most notably as a member of ex-Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico's trio for the past 12 years. It's easy to forget Moulder's spiritual leanings on albums like Spirit Talk (Naim, 2003), a standards-based duo record with vibraphonist Ken Hall. But ...