Sat 15-11-2008 | 21:00 | THE CLAUDIA QUINTET
jazzgalerie nickelsdorf

THE CLAUDIA QUINTET
John Hollenbeck - drums/composition/leader
Matt Moran - vibraphone/percussion
Ted Reichman - accordion
Chris Speed - clarinet/tenor saxophone
Drew Gress - acoustic bass

A unique and forward-thinking ensemble John Hollenbeck's CLAUDIA QUINTET explores the tenuous boundaries between jazz, classical, and rock. The group's strengths lie in its 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, 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 the opportunity to blend his experiences with the CLAUDIA QUINTET.

The group'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. For the group's third album "Semi-Formal" John Hollenbeck has expanded the quintet's sound palette by adding a few extra instruments. With all members doubling on secondary instruments and electronics, the quintet has access to an expanded spectrum of sound previously unavailable.

Die Band hat die Auszeichnung "Rising Star Jazz Group" in der August Ausgabe von Downbeat gewonnen.