CLAUDIA QUINTET - "FOR"
"For" is the new CD by the Claudia Quintet, the genre-defying band led by Grammy-nominated composer John Hollenbeck. "For" is a positive message. "For" is driving rhythms, beautiful melodies, and passionate virtuosity. "For" is for all music lovers. "For" is also their fourth CD.
Since Hollenbeck first presented the band in an internet cafe on Avenue A in Manhattan in 1997, the Claudia Quintet has amazed audiences from Alabama to the Amazon. Their unique sound has inspired dancing hippie girls at a New Mexico noise festival, the avant-garde cognoscenti in the concert halls of Vienna and Sao Paolo, and a generation of young musicians worldwide. In the course of the thousands of miles they have traveled together and hundreds of concerts they've played, the Claudia Quintet has evolved and grown, developing a dynamic live sound based on trust and spontaneity. They bring this powerful energy into the studio, where they record the old-fashioned way, live, playing as a band. The legions of people who have been won over by the music of the Claudia Quintet live and on CD attest to the fact that genre-defying new music need not be "inaccessible." "For" is for everyone.
FOR
Cuneiform 247
May 2007
Drew Gress (acoustic bass) is one of NYC's most in-demand bassists, currently performing and touring with Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Ravi Coltrane, Fred Hersch, and others as well. He wants you to know that he once boxed with Mohammad Ali in Miami in 1964, scoring a TKO when he bit him on the knee. Other highlights: Babe Ruth league all-star third baseman, and "ghost writer/orchestrator" for Hanna-Barbara's "Casper" cartoon. He is currently working on standup comedy routine for world-premiere in 2006. Chris Speed (clarinet/tenor saxophone) performs in the bands of Jim Black, Uri Caine, Ben Perowsky; his own ensembles include Pachora, yeah NO, Trio Iffy, The Clarinets and Human Feel. Chris couldn't think of anything funny because he is too busy starting his own label. Matt Moran (vibraphone/percussion) has distinguished himself as a vibraphonist with a revolutionary and unique approach to the instrument. In his own words, Im still out on the streets, terrifying Karl Rove, Mayor Bloomberg, and Republican leaders everywhere. ..Im still practicing long tones, lip slurs, and double-tonguing on the tenor tuba. Im still playing with Slavic Soul Party! Every week at Barbes in Brooklyn. ...Im trying out a new group with vibraphone, drums, tuba, trombone, trumpet in October. ...Im still writing my novel. Im still wondering where the minimalist free-jazz states are. Ted Reichman (accordion) has the versatility and musicality to make the accordion work in klezmer, free jazz, and pop. Ted and John can be heard playing warped versions of Christmas carols in the soundtrack to the new film Rick. Emigre, Teds album of original compositions is available on the Tzadik label. He is currently working on the score to the documentary Rene and I and a duo for accordion and cello for the Dusan Tynek Dance Theater. John Hollenbecks (drums/composition) music is a bold attempt to combine a wealth of experience into a style that is as accessible as it is advanced. Exceptionally creative and versatile, Hollenbeck continues to create a passionate new musical language based on world rhythms, lyricism, and spiritual practices. In 2001, John released three discs on CRI/Blueshift: The Claudia Quintet, Quartet Lucy, and No images. Hollenbeck performs frequently with Bob Brookmeyer, Fred Hersch, and Jim McNeely. He earned a B.M. and a M.M from the Eastman School of Music. He won the 2002 IAJE Gil Evans Fellowship; the 2003 ASCAP/IAJE Commission and was awarded a grant from Arts International to travel with his Claudia Quintet to Brazil. John has recently been commissioned by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Bang On A Can and Studio Percussion (AUSTRIA).
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