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Will Holshouser
Will Holshouser was given an old accordion when he was young and impressionable and was soon bewitched by its charms. Since then, he has become one of the busiest, most versatile accordionists in the U.S. and a composer of unique, colorful music. He leads several of his own groups and performs all over the globe with leading jazz, world, pop and classical artists. Will’s music relates to multiple music traditions and draws on the deeply expressive and fun-loving aspects of his chosen instrument, incorporating melodies you can whistle, pulsating rhythms, mesmerizing hymn-like tunes, rich jazz harmonies, subtle soundscapes and exciting improvisation.
Will began playing accordion in the late 1980s when a friend gave him an old squeezebox as a surprise. At the time he was studying music in college; the accordion let him branch out to playing in bar bands, learning many kinds of folk music, and doing an eclectic range of work on the New York scene. He has since performed in over 30 countries around the world. In addition to leading his own groups and writing music, Will has played with a wide variety of artists including jazz violinist Regina Carter, modern klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer, Dutch trumpet phenomenon Eric Vloeimans, Suzanne Vega, Antony and the Johnsons, Michael Winograd, Han Bennink & Michael Moore, Lisa Gutkin, Guy Klucevsek, Uri Caine, Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III, Andy Statman, and many others. Three albums of his own music for trio, featuring trumpeter Ron Horton and bassist Dave Phillips, have been released by the Portuguese label Clean Feed. His group Musette Explosion, a collaboration with Matt Munisteri on guitar and Marcus Rojas on tuba, made it to Billboard’s Jazz Albums chart and was featured in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. He has been commissioned as a composer by the American Accordionists' Association and Bachtopus Accordion Ensemble. He has also worked on Broadway, in the studio with film composers including Elliot Goldenthal and Rachel Portman, and with classical ensembles including NYC Ballet, NYC Opera, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Ensemble Connect and more.
Will studied accordion and composition with his mentor Dr. William Schimmel, and composition with Tania León, Dalit Warshaw, Anthony Braxton, and Bill Barron. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his family and teaches at Brooklyn College. Upcoming projects in 2022 include an album release and US tour as a duo with Eric Vloeimans.
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Eric Vloeimans, Will Holshouser: Two for the Road
by Vic Albani
Registrato dal vivo nel corso di un tour di concerti in Olanda nel 2021, Two for the Road è il secondo album del duo formato da Eric Vloeimans e Will Holshouser capace di mostrare forse più che nel primo lavoro, Eric & Will, la capacità di scrittura espressiva, improvvisazione virtuosa e la vasta territorialità di influenze dei due protagonisti. Suite jazz-folk introspettive per una figurazione strumentistica rara e difficile come quella fra tromba e fisarmonica, decisamente più in ...
Continue ReadingEric Vloeimans & Will Holshouser: Two For The Road-
by Pierre Giroux
The trumpet and the accordion may seem like an incompatible musical combination, and perhaps that may be so, except in the hands of Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and American accordionist Will Holshouser. Their dynamic and demonstrative interaction is on full display in this live concert recorded during a tour of the Netherlands in 2021 and is appropriately entitled Two For The Road. In this twelve track concert, nine of the compositions come from the pen of ...
Continue ReadingMusette Explosion!
by Ludovico Granvassu
Musette Explosion is a trio featuring Will Holshouser (accordion), Matt Munisteri (guitar) and Marcus Rojas (tuba) which gives a very New York twist to a quintessentially Parisian art-form like Musette music. Together they bring this genre to new places through virtuosic improvisation and original pieces, sonic surprises and adventurous playing, shot through with a sense of fun and an emotional depth. Happy listening! Will Holshouser, Matt Munisteri “Mysterieuse" Musette Explosions (Self-produced) 00:00:00 Musette Explosion ...
Continue ReadingMusette Explosion: Introducing Musette Explosion
by Angelo Leonardi
Will Holshouser, Matt Munisteri e Marcus Rojas scrivono una nuova pagina nella lunga relazione che lega il jazz alla musette e, innanzi tutto, hanno il merito di non riproporre le varie tipologie dello stile manouche (a partire dalla matrice storica di Django Reinhardt e Stéphane Grappelli) scegliendo semmai di seguire un percorso analogo a quello di New Musette, l'incisione del 1991 di Richard Galliano, in quartetto con Philippe Catherine, Pierre Michelot e Aldo Romano. L'assetto strumentale del ...
Continue ReadingWill Holshouser Trio with Bernardo Sassetti: Palace Ghosts and Drunken Hymns
by Mark Corroto
Inspired by the sights, sounds, and people of Lisbon, Portugal, American accordionist Will Holshouser collaborates with Portuguese pianist Bernardo Sassetti on a recording that is equal parts jazz (European and American), folk (again European and American--both North and South American), and chamber music. While it may take an ethnomusicologist to sort out all the roots and influences, it can easily be described as “grinning Portuguese music."
Holshouser's trio consists of two fine musicians that are unheralded, trumpeter Ron Horton (Andrew ...
Continue ReadingWill Holshouser: Singing To A Bee
by Budd Kopman
The first thing one notices about Singing To A Bee is the intricate packaging of folded cardboard with a magnetic catch (!) to hold the assembly together. Having never seen anything quite like this before (the winner in packaging originality thus far was Gebhard Ullmann's 1993 recording Ta Lam, released by 99 Records), I was more than a little intrigued as to what music was lurking inside. Singing To A Bee is a live recording of a ...
Continue ReadingWill Holshouser Trio: Reed Song
by Jerry D'Souza
The accordion has been used very little in jazz. This is understandable, given its apparent limitations as an instrument for improvisation despite its rich sonority. It is not surprising, then, that Will Holshauser concentrates on the melody and coaxes it as far as it will go without falling in to a chasm. Improvisation, however, is the zen for trumpeter Ron Horton and bassist David Phillips, whose dynamics are laudable indeed, and for the redoubtable drummer Kevin Norton whose intuition for ...
Continue ReadingEric Vloeimans & Will Holshouser Duo On Tour In September and With Kinan Azmeh at Drom on September 8, 2024
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Will Holshouser
Dutch trumpet star Eric Vloeimans is coming to the US in September for a duo tour with American accordionist Will Holshouser; at their New York concert on September 8th, they will be joined by very special guest Kinan Azmeh on clarinet, originally from Syria. These three virtuoso musicians play their original compositions that bring together sounds from jazz, classical and folk music: rich harmonies, catchy melodies, and energetic improvising span the range from emotional to fun. The combination of instruments ...
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Dutch Trumpet Sensation Eric Vloeimans And American Accordion Master Will Holshouser Bring Their Expressive And Playful Music To Eight Us Cities And Towns October 13-22, 2023
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
The adventurous duo featuring Dutch trumpet sensation Eric Vloeimans and American accordionist Will Holshouser bring their expressive writing and playful, virtuosic improvising to eight US cities and towns, October 13-22, 2023. Their evocative original compositions bring together their omnivorous range of influences from jazz, classical and folk music: rich harmonies, catchy melodies and energetic improvising, spanning the range from deeply emotional to fun. Together, these two virtuoso musicians use the intimacy of the duo setting to full effect, taking listeners ...
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Firehouse 12 to Present the Will Holshouser Trio October 19th
Source:
Improvised Communications
On Friday, October 19th, New Haven's Firehouse 12 will present a two-set performance by New York accordionist/composer Will Holshouser and his longstanding trio, featuring trumpeter Ron Horton and bassist David Phillips. Led by “the squeezebox king of downtown" (Time Out New York), this nearly decade-old group has showcased its unusual instrumentation around the world and recorded two CDs, including its latest, Singing to a Bee (Clean Feed), recorded live in Portugal.
“Holshouser knows how to eschew categories, refurbish old-world sounds, ...
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The Will Holshouser Trio Live Tonight at The Bowery Poetry Club, Thursday at Barbes!
Source:
Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
The Will Holshouser Trio Live In Brooklyn and Manhattan-In Celebration of Singing To A Bee (Clean Feed CF054)
Will Holshouser (accordion) Ron Horton (trumpet) David Phillips (bass)
Tues., September 19 at 10:00 PM The Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery tel 212 614 0505 www.bowerypoetry.com
Thurs., September 21 at 7:30 PM The Clean Feed Festival @ Barbes 376 9th St, Brooklyn tel 718 ...
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The Will Holshouser Trio Live In Brooklyn and Manhattan in Celebration of "Singing To A Bee"!
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Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
The Will Holshouser Trio Live In Brooklyn and Manhattan-In Celebration of Singing To A Bee (Clean Feed CF054)
Will Holshouser (accordion) Ron Horton (trumpet) David Phillips (bass)
Tues., September 19 at 10:00 PM The Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery tel 212 614 0505 www.bowerypoetry.com
Thurs., September 21 at 7:30 PM The Clean Feed Festival @ Barbes 376 9th St, Brooklyn tel 718 ...
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The Will Holshouser Trio On Tour!
Source:
Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity
The Will Holshouser Trio Live At The Kennedy Center - FREE! ONE NIGHT ONLY! Will Holshouser (accordion), Ron Horton (trumpet) & David Phillips (bass) Wednesday, August 30, 6:00 PM at - The Kennedy Center - Millenium Stage In Celebration of Singing To A Bee (Clean Feed CF054) Also appearing Tues., September 19 at 10:00 PM - The Bowery Poetry Club 308 Bowery, tel 212 614 0505, www.bowerypoetry.com Thurs., September 21 at 7:30 PM - The Clean Feed Festival @ Barbes ...
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The Will Holshouser Trio Celebrates The Release of "Singing To a Bee" on Clean Feed Records
Source:
All About Jazz
New CD Release from The Will Holshouser Trio Will Holshouser (accordion), Ron Horton (trumpet) & David Phillips (bass)
Singing To A Bee (Clean Feed CF054)
The Will Holshouser Trio CD Release Performances/Celebrations: Tues., September 19 at 10:00 PM - The Bowery Poetry Club - 308 Bowery
Thurs., September 21 - The Clean Feed Festival - Barbes, 376 9th St, Brooklyn
Clean Feed Records proudly announces the release of accordionist/composer and bandleader Will Holshouser's new live recording, Singing To ...
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Will Holshouser Trio CD Release
Source:
All About Jazz
Accordionist Will Holshouser's new CD “Reed Song" features trumpeter Ron Horton and bassist David Phillips, with guest Kevin Norton on percussion. It's on the Clean Feed label and is distributed in the US by North Country. Available online at www.cadencebuilding.com. CD release show will be Monday Sept 9th at the Knitting Factory in New York (8 pm & 9:30 pm, $8 cover, 74 Leonard St, for info call 212-219-3055.)
“Successfully showcased the range and beauty of the accordion . . ...
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“The blend that Dutch jazz trumpeter, Eric Vloeimans, and American accordionist, Will Holshouser, bring to the stage brings on such a state of awe, with its beauty and eclectic influences, that a CD release from their 2021 concert tour in the Netherlands is a “must” purchase.” * * * * * - Jeff Krow, Audiophile Audition
"As a composer, he's broken out of the format." — Bill Beuttler, Boston Globe
"[Holshouser] successfully showcased the range and beauty of the accordion . . . his compositions are intriguing, with wayward harmonies and soft-spoken melodies that make the accordion's thin, reedy treble range sound sweet. This could be music for some fantastical Fellini film." — Anthony Tommasini, New York Times
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Will Holshouser
Location: New York City
Instrument: Accordion
