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Refuge Trio, Brooklyn Conservatory BYOB, and L’Ensemble Cairn
POWERS OF THREE Refuge Trio reunites for three Northwesterner gigs! First, a residency and concert at University of Oregon on May 9th, then, on May 15th, as part of Earshot’s Spring Series in Seattle, and, finally, at PDX Jazz at the Mission Theatre, on May 16th. Tickets available at the afore-linked links. For those uninitiated or curious, check out this preview article from the Eugene Weekly(featuring a super-dashing photo of Theo to add to your collection). You’re also encouraged to scroll down for a Rashomon-style interview with each member of the group… THE UN-CONSERVATORY The Claudia Quintet with Matt Mitchell will appear at Brooklyn Conservatory on Thursday, June 13, at 7 and 9:30 pm. They will play the Conservatory’s ”Jazz Club,” performing—per special request—music from Claudia’s 2010 LP, Royal Toast. Reports, if they can be believed, say BYOB. OK! What could be better than classic Claudia and hand-brought beer? Why, a live pre-concert Q&A with noted music journalist David Adler! Not bad! Personnel on hand: John Hollenbeck, drums To purchase tickets please click here To hear “Sphinx,” from Royal Toast, click here. Below, a love song for John’s beloved Kate, entitled “Love Song for Kate,” from Claudia’s first record, matched with the poetry of Dylan Thomas. A splendid look for all involved. – ECOUTEZ L’ENSEMBLE CAIRN “Flock,” John’s piece for French contemporastronauts L’Ensemble Cairn, is now listenable as a podcast by clicking here. Please note this podcast is only available for listening until JUNE 5th. No dawdling! What you’ll hear if you’ll listen is the premiere performance at the Theatre d’Orleans, from March 8th. The Ensemble plays “Limpidity of Silences” (previously recorded by Claudia Quintet, this is its first actual performance), followed by a new commission for them, “The Commons,” then an orchestration for the Ensemble of John’s Bang On A Can commission, “Rainbow Jimmies.” “Flock” is the encore. The concert starts with a great piece called “Aschenblume,” by Mauro Lanza, plus a premiere by the crafty New York wildcat, Alex Mincek, titled, “Donegal.” (But if you’re in a hurry, the Hollenbeck portion starts at 34:40.) For those fortunate enough to be shouting distance from Douai, you can see L’Ensemble perform this piece live, at the Hippodrome Douai on June 1st. Allez! – AS PROMISED ABOVE, AN INTERVIEW WITH EACH OF THE MEMBERS OF REFUGE TRIO, IN CASE YOU WERE CURIOUS Courtesy UOregon’s Liner Notes Blog Gary Versace: 1. What are you planning to bring to the performance at the University? Lots and lots of weed. (Not really. But if you know anyone… 2. Can you tell us the musical journey of Refuge Trio? How did you start as a band? With instruments and microphones, then we plugged the shit in, and BAM. Wok tee, baby. 3. What are your biggest influences in music that shape your style today? Spandex. 4. Do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to share with the readers? A large toothpick replica of st. patrick’s cathedral that i’ve been working on for months…it’s pretty sweet. Theo Bleckmann: 1. What are you planning to bring to the performance at the University? Old and new music performed in new ways. 2. Can you tell us the musical journey of Refuge Trio? How did you start as a band? This trio was formed to play at the 2002 Wall-to-Wall Joni Mitchell Marathon Concert at Symphony Space in NYC. Since then, they have continued to explore music from all genres following a unique collaborative path. Their repertoire includes their own originals as well as compositions by Joni Mitchell, Theolonius Monk, Dmitri Schostakovitsch, Sidsel Endresen and Allan Holdsworth among others. 3. What are your biggest influences in music that shape your style today? Pretty much everything influences me, either in a good way that makes me want to learn about it and have more of it in my life, or in a way that defines what I want to avoid. 4. Do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to share with the readers? I am working on a new band with harpist Zeena Parkins (Björk) performing some of my new songs and some baroque music. John Hollenbeck: 1. What are you planning to bring to the performance at the University? TOYS…LOTSA TOYS 2. Can you tell us the musical journey of Refuge Trio? How did you start as a band? gary has the funny answer, theo the real one….so I think you got all you need on this one! 3. What are your biggest influences in music that shape your style today? yesterday I heard a great album from a band from Berlin called Schneeweiss and Rotenrot-the album is called Pool-check it out! but usually I’m behind the current trends….as I’m writing this I’m listening to deerhoof and just to show how unhip I am-this is my first time listening to them…..I get into everything about 5-10 years after everyone else it seems……next up for me is probably The Dirty Projectors since I’ve been hearing about them for about 5 years….. eternal favs: Peter Garland, Brian Eno, György Ligeti 4. Do you have any upcoming projects that you’d like to share with the readers? That reminds me that what I should be doing right now is finishing music for the upcoming Claudia Quintet record, called September that is coming out in, you guessed it-September! Also revising some new music for this great new music ensemble from Paris, France, Ensemble Cairn, that I will play with in a few weeks….yikes I got to get back to work. Permalink http://johnhollenbeck.com/2013/05/11/refuge-trio-brooklyn-conservatory-byo-and-lensemble-cairn/ Today, Cornelia Street; Tomorrow, Dukedom
Claudia Quintet take Cornelia Street (with special guest, Chris Tordini) This week CQ swings through old stomping grounds in the West Village. All shows are All Ages, so you can bring your baby (or your baby’s baby). Friday, April 19 at 9 & 10:30PM Go once! Go twice in a night ! Go four times in a weekend! Call 212-989-9319 for tickets or visit their website for details Shortwave signals The Claudia Qunitet will “appear” in an accordion special hosted by Ssrirus Pakzad (correct spelling!). Part of the show, “radioJazznacht,” it will be broadcast on may 4th, 6pm-8pm New York Time, on Bayern 2 (Bayerischer Rundfunk). Listen in via live stream here. And for our readers who are fluent in Portguese, we have a nice feeling what ‘forca positiva’ might mean, but we’d appreciate your help to verify.Check the full interview here. Next step: Knighthood We are very proud to announce that John has been appointed to England’s Royal Academy of Music as their Visiting Professor of Jazz for the academic year 2013/2014. In John’s words as quoted by RAM: John Hollenbeck said, ’It is a distinct honour to be invited to teach at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music as a Visiting Professor of Jazz. I anticipate it will be an insightful and enriching experience for me to work with the Academy’s students, and I hope to inspire and motivate the students in return, serving to bring them closer to their chosen path.’ See, he even used the added ‘u’ when he said ‘honor’! Righto! Tour Pix: Dispatches from the Midwest What began at the Jazz Standard, went to Ohio and ended in Johnson City, NY. For those not fortunate enough to see shows or play along for the ride, you can view a comprehensive gander of the proceedings right here from “Mr. Enthusiasm” Steven Lugerner! Permalink http://johnhollenbeck.com/2013/04/19/today-cornelia-street-tomorrow-dukedom/ From Radio Waves and Magazine Pages to The Jazz Standard and The Wex
Old Media <3′s John Ladies and gentleman, John Hollenbeck has hit the mainstream. At long last, the unclassifiable is cool. No longer will “no labels” be an impediment to earnest attention from the masses. For on newsstands now—that’s right, I said newsstands—you can find not one but TWO highly respected journalistic organs devoting raw pagespace for John and his travails. In this latest issue of The New Republic you can read “Music Without Category,” by David Hajdu. To wit:
Likewise, in this current issue of Stereophile magazine you can read an extensive article on John, written by Mr. Robert Baird.
Let this pristine ink not be spilled in vain! Get thee to your corner store or bookshop and have at least a pagethrough of these pieces. Neither will be found on the Internet—that rascal’s den of the errant and inane—so you must go into the light of the real press and read it for yourself! Go! The sunshine will do you some good!
And did we mention…the Radio? Not only does John appear in glossy print this month, but he and stellar vocal partner Mr. Theo Bleckmann will join Michael Bourne on his show Singers Unlimited on Sunday, March 31st at 12pm on WBGO 88.3FM. NYC/NJ Hollenfans, bust out your radio and tune in. Internet Citizens of Hollenbeck Nation, set your dials to www.wbgo.org and join the party via web. Upcoming shows To read and hear the words and music of John is good. But to do so in the same room as the man himself? Another story completely. Hear the music unadulterated by airwaves, and be in proximate communion with with your fellow fans. Be advised of the below shows—the critics have taken notice too—and get satisfied physically: Tuesday, April 2, 2013 John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble SONGS I LIKE A LOT with Kate McGarry & Theo Bleckmann @ Jazz Standard 116 E 27th St., 11th Fl., New York, NY Sets: 7:30 PM/9:30PM All Ages, Ticket Here Wednesday, April 3, 2013 John Hollenbeck SONGS I LIKE A LOT with Kate McGarry & Theo Bleckmann @ Oberlin College 135 W. Lorain Street, Oberlin, OH Set: 8:00 PM All Ages, Tickets Here Thursday, April 4, 2013 John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble SONGS I LIKE A LOT with Kate McGarry & Theo Bleckmann @ Wexner Center for the Arts 1871 North High Street, Columbus, OH 43210-1393 (614) 292-3535 Set: 8:00 PM All Age, Tickets Here Tickets: $16 members/ $18 general public/ $13 students Friday, April 5, 2013 John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble SONGS I LIKE A LOT with Kate McGarry & Theo Bleckmann @ The Goodwill Theatre 67 Broad Street, Johnson City, NY 13790 607.772.2404 Set: 7:00 PM All Ages, Tickets Here Tickets: $15 / $12 / 10 More likes for Songs I Like A Lot The latest review begins, “„Welcome to the first classic album of 2013!“, jubelt down beat.” Beyond that, I can’t read it, but mayhaps you can! Check it out on this most-excellent german language jazz site. For a closer-to-home take on SILAL, may we suggest the Los Angeles Times? This quick blurb (replete with lovely action shot) says a mouthful. JH for young ears We close with this, from a friend of the Hollenfamily. You’ve known John Hollenbeck is outstanding listening for grownups of all stripes. But did you know it could also be delivered to younger, more formative minds, as part of a well-balanced musical awakening? Read on… From Jack Hollenbeck’s (7th grader-nephew of John) excellent music teacher: ”Yes, today we were covering 20th century music & specifically 12-tone music. Arnold Schoenberg was the composer that initially made that famous, so we covered him. But I wanted to tie in something more contemporary, so Rick got me listening to John’s Meinetwegen (from his 1st Claudia Quintet CD) last night, so I played it for them today. The kids thought it was SO cool that it was Jack’s uncle, & they were quite taken by the voices included in the tune!” John’s response: “I wish I had a 7th Grade teacher who played me Schoenberg when I was starting out!” These kids get the benefit of them both. If you have stories about your own intersections with John Hollenbeck’s music, be they spiritual, educational or other, do not hesitate to share! We are always listening…
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