Jazz Articles about The Claudia Quintet

The Claudia Quintet: Semi-Formal

by Judith Insell
July 6, 2006

To paraphrase the great Bill Evans, “jazz is not so much a style, but a process of making music. John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet is deeply immersed in this process. Semi-Formal is an interesting synergy of improvisation, Steve Reich-like minimalism and changing moods effected by varying grooves: techno rave drums, pseudo and authentic hip-hop, and polyrhythmic patterns. Semi-Formal harkens back to some forms of Gagaku, an ancient Japanese court instrumental music where each timbre, instrumental or chordal development ...

The Claudia Quintet: Semi-Formal

by Tom Greenland
October 15, 2005

Painter Georges Seurat, the inventor of pointillism, believed that small, discrete units of color could be effectively juxtaposed to interact in complex yet clarifying ways. John Hollenbeck, drummer and maestromind behind the Claudia Quintet's third release, Semi-Formal, seems to employ a similar modus operandi in his innovative compositional techniques. Writing for a quintet of sonically similar instruments, Hollenbeck exploits their individuality by leaving room on his canvas for each voice to sound alone, even as they are effectively conjoined in ...

The Claudia Quintet: Semi-Formal

by John Kelman
October 6, 2005

For the Claudia Quintet's third outing, the group expands on the vocabulary of I, Claudia and each member adds new instruments to his respective arsenal. The logical progression of Semi-Formal continues to explore the meeting point of through-composition, exploratory improvisation, and textural soundscapes that the group has been exploring since its 2002 self-titled debut, but with a clear evolution and a honed style that makes this its most fully-realized record to date.

When he first formed the quintet, drummer John ...

The Claudia Quintet: I, Claudia

by Mark Sabbatini
December 12, 2004

Here's something I don't hear a lot of: avant-garde for people who appreciate music.

There's a glut of albums with new concepts, daring or just flat-out madness, but 2004's I, Claudia by the Claudia Quintet is a rare disc where something more insightful is happening at the assembly line. Snippets of classical, world beats, jazz, uber rock and... uh, “other stuff" make appearances, frequently built on unconventional groupings of sounds and/or instruments. What impresses is how the variety ...

The Claudia Quintet: I, Claudia

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
February 17, 2004

After debuting as a leader with three nearly simultaneous releases two years ago, drummer/composer John Hollenbeck returns with I, Claudia, the sophomore effort from his Claudia Quintet. Consisting of Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Ted Reichman on accordion, Matt Moran on vibes, and Drew Gress on bass, the band adeptly maneuvers the leader's quirky, odd-metered compositions, making them feel natural. From African-inspired polyrhythms and sheets of sound to funk grooves, modern classical nods, and free improvisation, Hollenbeck expresses ...