Semi-Formal
A unique and forward thinking ensemble, composer John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet explores the tenuous boundaries between Jazz, Classical and Rock. The group's strengths lie in their inability to be easily categorized. An inventive amalgamation of Downtown compositional intricacies, post-minimalist classical technique and a contemporary post-rock instrumental vibe, along with a healthy dose of non-Western concepts, the Claudia Quintet is truly an unclassifiable ensemble.
As a schooled percussionist, John Hollenbeck has toured, recorded and collaborated with an astonishingly varied set of artists. From traditional jazz giants like trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, to New Music visionary Meredith Monk and contemporaries like trumpeter Cuong Vu and clarinetist David Krakauer, Hollenbeck has amassed an intensely varied world of sound to draw from, and he never shies away from this opportunity with the Claudia Quintet.
Where certain pieces have obvious ties to post-modern jazz, others are definitely aligned with contemporary chamber music. Acoustic variations on funky drum-n-bass rhythms appear and electro-acoustic improvisation is the order of the day. For their third release, Hollenbeck has arranged and structured an album that feels more like a suite than a conventional selection of songs.
The Claudia Quintet's dominant instrumentation, even with acoustic bass and drum kit as its foundation, has a unique, unclassifiable sound to it. Accordion and vibraphone make for an intriguingly rich instrumental color blend when combined with either woody clarinet or breathy tenor sax. In lesser hands, this instrumental assemblage would have an almost nostalgically folksy air to them, but as employed by this group, they almost always sound strangely futuristic. This time around, Hollenbeck has expanded the quintet's sound palette by adding a few extra instruments.
With the group doubling on secondary instruments and electronics, the Claudia Quintet has access to an expanded spectrum of sound previously unavailable. In addition to Hollenbeck on drums and keyboards, Drew Gress handles his usual acoustic bass, along with pedal steel and electric guitar. Vibraphonist Matt Moran also plays some keyboards, as does tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Chris Speed. Accordion virtuoso Ted Reichman dabbles in electric and acoustic guitar as well as the ubiquitous keyboards.
The opening piece, "Major Nelson", with its repeated and thoroughly composed melody and rhythmic structure resembles classical minimalism, but only on the surface. The tune has a frenetic rhythmic momentum to it that feels more akin to instrumental prog-rock with the timbral quality of jazz, than it does traditional contemporary classical music. "Drewslate" follows, but offers up heady improvisation, even if only bits at a time. Short transitional pieces such as the minimal keyboard etude, "Kord" alternate with more frenzied workouts like "They Point...Glance...Whisper...Then Snicker." Hollenbeck introduces the piece with an acoustically driven organic drum-n-bass rhythm, the quintet slowly appears, one by one, until the entire ensemble is engaged in a string of punchy solos over the rhythm section's numerous tempo changes. Matt Moran's lilting vibraphone solo is contrasted nicely by Chris Speed's burly tenor statements on this standout cut, also the albums longest. In general, most of the solos on the album are fairly brief and economical. This is a composer's album first and foremost, not a free-wheeling blowing session.
Hollenbeck inserts a series of short keyboard pieces between the longer-form compositions to work as "bridges" from one tune to the next. Acting as sonic breathing space between the album's more intense pieces, these minimal, ambient interludes generate a structural flow over repeated listens that makes the album's suite like structure more implicit and unified.
Although the impressionistic interludes are present as the conceptual glue to hold the album together, that is not to say that there are not standout tunes within. The searching melody and subtly intensifying drama of "Two Teachers" and the propulsive rhythm of "Guarana", with its ebullient vibraphone solo and interlocking rhythm section work, come to mind. With their distinctive merger of old world timbres and futuristic concepts, the Claudia Quintet truly sounds like no other working ensemble today. Troy Collins
Semi-Formal
A unique and forward thinking ensemble, composer John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet explores the tenuous boundaries between Jazz, Classical and Rock. The group's strengths lie in their inability to be easily categorized. An inventive amalgamation of Downtown compositional intricacies, post-minimalist classical technique and a contemporary post-rock instrumental vibe, along with a healthy dose of non-Western concepts, the Claudia Quintet is truly an unclassifiable ensemble.
As a schooled percussionist, John Hollenbeck has toured, recorded and collaborated with an astonishingly varied set of artists. From traditional jazz giants like trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, to New Music visionary Meredith Monk and contemporaries like trumpeter Cuong Vu and clarinetist David Krakauer, Hollenbeck has amassed an intensely varied world of sound to draw from, and he never shies away from this opportunity with the Claudia Quintet.
Where certain pieces have obvious ties to post-modern jazz, others are definitely aligned with contemporary chamber music. Acoustic variations on funky drum-n-bass rhythms appear and electro-acoustic improvisation is the order of the day. For their third release, Hollenbeck has arranged and structured an album that feels more like a suite than a conventional selection of songs.
The Claudia Quintet's dominant instrumentation, even with acoustic bass and drum kit as its foundation, has a unique, unclassifiable sound to it. Accordion and vibraphone make for an intriguingly rich instrumental color blend when combined with either woody clarinet or breathy tenor sax. In lesser hands, this instrumental assemblage would have an almost nostalgically folksy air to them, but as employed by this group, they almost always sound strangely futuristic. This time around, Hollenbeck has expanded the quintet's sound palette by adding a few extra instruments.
With the group doubling on secondary instruments and electronics, the Claudia Quintet has access to an expanded spectrum of sound previously unavailable. In addition to Hollenbeck on drums and keyboards, Drew Gress handles his usual acoustic bass, along with pedal steel and electric guitar. Vibraphonist Matt Moran also plays some keyboards, as does tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Chris Speed. Accordion virtuoso Ted Reichman dabbles in electric and acoustic guitar as well as the ubiquitous keyboards.
The opening piece, "Major Nelson", with its repeated and thoroughly composed melody and rhythmic structure resembles classical minimalism, but only on the surface. The tune has a frenetic rhythmic momentum to it that feels more akin to instrumental prog-rock with the timbral quality of jazz, than it does traditional contemporary classical music. "Drewslate" follows, but offers up heady improvisation, even if only bits at a time. Short transitional pieces such as the minimal keyboard etude, "Kord" alternate with more frenzied workouts like "They Point...Glance...Whisper...Then Snicker." Hollenbeck introduces the piece with an acoustically driven organic drum-n-bass rhythm, the quintet slowly appears, one by one, until the entire ensemble is engaged in a string of punchy solos over the rhythm section's numerous tempo changes. Matt Moran's lilting vibraphone solo is contrasted nicely by Chris Speed's burly tenor statements on this standout cut, also the albums longest. In general, most of the solos on the album are fairly brief and economical. This is a composer's album first and foremost, not a free-wheeling blowing session.
Hollenbeck inserts a series of short keyboard pieces between the longer-form compositions to work as "bridges" from one tune to the next. Acting as sonic breathing space between the album's more intense pieces, these minimal, ambient interludes generate a structural flow over repeated listens that makes the album's suite like structure more implicit and unified.
Although the impressionistic interludes are present as the conceptual glue to hold the album together, that is not to say that there are not standout tunes within. The searching melody and subtly intensifying drama of "Two Teachers" and the propulsive rhythm of "Guarana", with its ebullient vibraphone solo and interlocking rhythm section work, come to mind. With their distinctive merger of old world timbres and futuristic concepts, the Claudia Quintet truly sounds like no other working ensemble today. Troy Collins
