Pop Gets Complicated: John Hollenbeck's GEORGE

“John Hollenbeck likes to blur the distinctions between the knotty virtuosity of jazz and the broad appeal of pop,” wrote Jude Noel in Pitchfork in a review of Letters to George, the 2023 debut release by Hollenbeck’s quartet, GEORGE. 

At the Institute For the Musical Arts in Goshen, MA on March 17, we heard his genius for doing just that. Together with Anna Webber (tenor saxophone/flutes), Sarah Rossy (voice/synthesizers) and chiquitamagic (synthesizer/voice), the drummer John Hollenbeck gave us an hour of finely crafted, high energy music that received palpable approval from the 55 of us gathered in the barn. Webber (Vancouver) and Rossy (Montreal) were born in Canada. With Hollenbeck now a Canadian citizen and teaching at McGill, and chiquitamangic living in Toronto, GEORGE is very much a product of the Great White North.

Over the years, Hollenbeck has had two primary outlets for his compositional energies: the 25-year old Claudia Quintet, which Jazz Shares presented in 2017, and his 19-piece Large Ensemble, which has three Grammy-nominated recordings to date. GEORGE is the first new band he’s put together in 17 years, and it’s a keeper. The band formed and practiced remotely during the first year of the COVID pandemic, and the four players did not meet in person until January 2022, when they assembled in a Montreal studio to record Letters to George. Now, with Rossy replacing Aurora Nealand, the band is touring in support of their latest effort, Looking For Consonance, recorded in 2024 and just now being released.

chiquitamagic (Isis Paola Giraldo) gave birth to her daughter eight months ago, so GEORGE is reconvening after a year apart. They assembled at Webber’s house in Greenfield for a day of rehearsing before hitting the IMA “stage”, no written music in sight. Their performance in Goshen kicked off a tour that will take them to New York, Philadelphia, New Haven and Boston.  

With its kinetic edge and avant leanings, the music brought to mind Jim Black’s AlasNoAxis; with its catchy, groove oriented compositions, I heard echoes of Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth; and with its synth-laden pop tendencies, I thought of Kneebody. But despite those references GEORGE is its own thing, thanks to the brilliance of its leader. Hollenbeck’s drumming was crisp and compelling, and he played with a rock-like directness. In fact, his technique was so precise it took me a while to be able to concentrate on other elements of the music.

Welcoming back return visitors like Hollenbeck advances our project building regional bonds with the larger jazz world. But for me, there’s a thrill in being introduced to musicians for the first time. Born in Bogotá, chiquitamagic is part of the notorious KNOWER house in L.A., and she tours and has recorded with Justin Brown and Ambrose Akinmusire. Her own music touches on EDM, cumbia, funk, experimental, choral and jazz. Check out this video. chiquitamagic stood between two synthesizers, which she played simultaneously. Her left hand handled the bass chores, laying down a super funky line on “George and Dee”, and summoning space-age smears in support of “Georgist”. Her role is critical to the band’s sound, and I can see why Hollenbeck put the group on hold until she could rejoin.

Like chiquitamagic, Sarah Rossy is not coming from the jazz world, proper. Despite being a finalist in the Ella Fitzgerald International Voice Composition, Rossy was a singer-songwriter who performed hundreds of concerts throughout Quebec and Eastern Canada. In 2017, her practice expanded to include interdisciplinary movement and visual projections. Mentorship with Meredith Monk, voice and movement research in Berlin, explorations of ethnic heritage at the Arabic Music Retreat, and multiple residencies at Banff Centre were all formative experiences. Her Lebanese roots shone on “Nassam Alayna-Lhawa”, a classic love song associated with longing for the homeland. Her vocals were restless and ethereal, and made common cause with Flora Purim’s groundbreaking work with Airto throughout the 1970s. On Silvio Rodriguez’ “Unicornio”, her voice entwined with Webber’s flute to produce diaphanous clouds fit for an angel.

Folks are still buzzing about Webber’s Nonet concert at the Iron Horse in January. (The Intakt recording will be released later this year.) Although she has pulled back on her commitments at the New England Conservatory, she still seems busy as a bee, with upcoming concerts in Belgium, Canada, Boston, New York and Amherst (Max Johnson’s Sextet at the Drake in June.) As we’ve heard with Shimmer Wince, her Simple Trio and Nonet, Webber is a first rate composer/conceptualist. So it was great to hear her in service of Hollenbeck’s vision, her mentor and Simple Trio-bandmate. Her tenor playing was meaty and straightforward, different from the complicated excursions we associate with her own projects.

I was lucky enough to have encountered Hollenbeck’s debut recording, no images, when it was first released in 2001. It includes “The Drum Major Instinct”, a brilliant 25-minute piece that weaves Martin Luther King’s sermon with an improvising ensemble of Hollenbeck and three trombones. That it was conceived during his final year at Eastman tells you all you need to know about his talent and intent. Throughout his career, Hollenbeck has made music that is distinctive, highly musical and made with skill and integrity. We are more than happy to bear witness.