John Hollenbeck & The Claudia Quintet Wish You A Happy New Year !

A double dose of good concerts here today at Four on The Floor, in the spirit of ringing in the New Year.

Here's a killing concert from Europe featuring drummer/composer John Hollenbeck and his Claudia Quintet:













Hollenbeck is an exceptional contemporary drummer and composer, first introduced to me by Montreal bassist Miles Perkin and Brandon University professor Greg Gatien. Unfortunately I don't know much about his music but look forward to checking out much more of his music in the near future. During my time at the University of Toronto, Paul Read also hipped to several of his large ensemble projects. I understand that he was a disciple of Bob Brookmeyer's and really seems to be at the forefront of contemporary "jazz" composing (I'm not even sure he would call his music "jazz", not that that really matters!) I really dig how "in tune" he is with the sounds he and his musical counterparts are making and how they are able to manipulate a soundscape. The guy really knows how to listen ! Quite a minimalist compositional influence in there as well.

Looking forward to more Hollenbeck in 2010.