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Jazz Articles about Mike Holober
Mike Holober & Balancing Act: Don't Let Go
by Jack Bowers
With Don't Let Go, pianist Mike Holober and the octet Balancing Act seemed to have found an ideal way to cross-breed classical motifs and contemporary jazz to produce a pleasurable listening experience. Then he added lyrics. Granted, not all lyrics are superfluous—even those that are either nebulous or indecipherable, as is too often the case here. It's simply that some listeners may be more receptive to an alternative in the form of, say, Marvin Stamm's trumpet, Dick Oatts' or Jason ...
Continue ReadingScott Reeves: The Alchemist
by Edward Blanco
Trombonist, composer and band leader Scott Reeves once performed a live concert at the City College of New York with his then quintet, which has now been documented as his newest offering entitled The Alchemist. However, new is not the operative word here, as this musical event took place on May 5th, 2005. While concentrating on compositions and recordings for his jazz orchestra over the last ten years, the pandemic provided Reeves with the opportunity to review the music he ...
Continue ReadingScott Reeves Quintet: The Alchemist
by Jack Bowers
Devastating as it has been, the global Covid-19 pandemic has produced a few upsides as well, one of which is the rediscovery by versatile Scott Reeves of a concert that his quintet performed sixteen years ago, in May 2005, at the City College of New York. With time on his hands as a result of the scarcity of gigs during the pandemic, Reeves visited his archives and found the recording, which he never intended to release owing to audio issues. ...
Continue ReadingThe 4th of July
by AAJ Staff
The 4th of July Music and lyrics by Mike Holober Music. Publisher: Connect the Dots Music BMI. How do we get there from here? a child asks her eyes open wide no fear that distant shore where hope and love are law Sparklers in small hands parades and marching bands unfurl your hopes and let them fly Why reminisce lose yourself in this? here's why ...
Continue ReadingMarvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk, Dennis Mackrel: Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Jack Bowers
Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel; when musicians of that caliber gather onstage to record a live supper club session, even the diners snap to attention and harken closely lest any phrase or nuance eludes the ears. Such was the case on a December evening in 2019 at Maureen's Jazz Cellar in Nyack, NY (once home to the incomparable Zoot Sims) when the quartet held its audience in thrall for more than an hour as the tape ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober: Marvin Stamm/Mike Holober Quartet Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Nicholas F. Mondello
One of the many things sorely missed in the 2020's COVID situation is that cornerstone of jazz—the live-in-a-club performance. Live at Maureen's Cellar provides a vivid recollection of what pre-plague joy we had.. This fine recording presents that intimate club vibe, offering engaging extended solos, ensemble (and audience) interaction, and the emotional range that jazz delivers uniquely in person. The four Aces—Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel--offer seven selections: two fine Holober originals and ...
Continue ReadingMarvin Stamm/Mike Holober: Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar
by Pierre Giroux
It is hard to overstate the value of long standing working relationships between musicians. When this musical symbiosis is at its best, the result is a genuine understanding and an interpretation of the music in a comprehensive way. Such is the case between flugelhornist Marvin Stamm and pianist Mike Holober on Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar. In order to best exemplify the recognition of a shared craft, they have chosen a series of titles from the jazz standard catalogue along ...
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