Claudia Quintet

Last updated
Claudia Quintet
Origin New York City, New York, United States
Years active1997 (1997)–present
Members John Hollenbeck
Drew Gress
Matt Moran
Ted Reichman
Chris Speed

The Claudia Quintet are an American jazz ensemble formed in 1997 by drummer and composer John Hollenbeck. The ensemble's precursor was an ensemble featuring "the Refuseniks" featuring Hollenbeck and future Quintet member Ted Reichman. The quintet gets its eponymous name from a woman named Claudia who had briefly interacted with the Refuseniks; "Claudia" became an Refuseniks inside joke after she praised a performance and promised to return, but never did.

Contents

Personnel

As of 2010, the lineup is: [1]

The Claudia Quintet have not featured anyone named "Claudia" in the ensemble, nor any women at all. [1] [2]

History

Formation and naming

In the mid 1990s, John Hollenbeck, Ted Reichman, and bassist Reuben Redding had a weekly gig at an internet café known as "alt.coffee" in East Village of New York City, playing as the "Refuseniks". One night, a woman named Claudia approached the three, expressing significant enthusiasm for the band's work and promising to tell her friends about the Refuseniks and return for future performances. After she left, Redding whispered to Hollenbeck, "She's never coming back". [3]

Redding was proven correct — the three never saw Claudia again. The incident, and Claudia herself, became a running joke between the bandmates; the three quipped continually about how they "saw Claudia on the street" or received a message that she was definitely coming to see the band that week. Reuben Redding later left the trio to go to college. [3]

Hollenbeck soon enlisted three new people in 1997 [2] to form a quintet to play at alt.coffee, inviting saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Speed, bassist Drew Gress, and then-unknown vibraphonist Matt Moran. The group was named the "Claudia Quintet", after the woman who approached them. Hollenbeck explained that the decision served as a tribute to Reuben, a "feminine quality" to define the group, and a decentralization of himself as the quintet's leader. [3]

Early work

The Claudia Quintet continued playing at alt.coffee after formation, where they were reviewed by Ben Ratliff of The New York Times . Ratliff complimented Hollenbeck's ability to write for a quintet, and noted how Moran and Speed's parts as vibraphonist and clarinetist, which he says are related instruments, sometimes diverged from their unison. Ratliff noted how Gress, a bassist, sometimes keeps time instead of Hollenbeck, the quintet's drummer. However, he also refers to the performance as a "drummer's project", pointing out the constant and strong rhythm. [4]

Ratliff again critiqued the Claudia Quintet in a 2003 performance at the Jazz Standard. He theorized that the high-brow style of the music, complete with clashing tones and Hollenbeck's "heap of little percussion toys", gave the group a charm that simultaneously prevented it from reaching more people. Ratliff also quipped that "if the music were a little bit dumber, it would resemble the music of the rock band Tortoise. No disrespect to Tortoise". [5]

Discography

Related Research Articles

The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov, Hartt has been part of the University of Hartford since its charter merged the then Hartt College of Music, the Hartford Art School, and Hillyer College to create the university in 1957. The Hartt School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance, theatre, and associated disciplines. The Hartt Community Division offers a variety of opportunities in music and dance for students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellery Eskelin</span> American tenor saxophonist

Ellery Eskelin is an American tenor saxophonist raised in Baltimore, Maryland and residing in New York City. His parents, Rodd Keith and Bobbie Lee, were both professional musicians. Rodd Keith died in 1974 in Los Angeles, California, and became a cult figure after his death in the little-known field of "song-poem" music. Organist Bobbie Lee performed in local nightclubs in Baltimore in the early 1960s and provided Eskelin an introduction to standards from the Great American Songbook as well as inspiring an early interest in jazz music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Speed</span> American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer

Chris Speed is an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulgrew Miller</span> American jazz pianist

Mulgrew Miller was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in his playing, but he added the greater harmonic freedom of McCoy Tyner and others in developing as a hard bop player and then in creating his own style, which influenced others from the 1980s on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Moran (musician)</span> American jazz pianist, composer, educator (born 1975)

Jason Moran is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator involved in multimedia art and theatrical installations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hollenbeck (musician)</span> American drummer

John Hollenbeck is an American jazz drummer and composer known for his work with The Claudia Quintet and Bob Brookmeyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael S. Smith (drummer)</span> American drummer

Michael Scott Smith was an American jazz drummer and percussionist. Based in the Washington D.C. - Baltimore area for most of his 40-year career, Smith played with many jazz greats including Dave Liebman, Herbie Hancock, John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Tommy Flanagan, Billy Eckstein, Astrud Gilberto, Freddie Hubbard, Herb Ellis, and Milt Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Newsome</span> Musical artist

Sam Newsome is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and educator. His music combines straight-ahead jazz, world music and experimental jazz, which uses extended techniques. Newsome is an associate professor of music and the coordinator of the music program at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1960 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1959 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1959.

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1969 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1969 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1956 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1956.

This is a timeline documenting events of jazz in the year 1935

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1928 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1928 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1937 in jazz</span> Overview of the events of 1937 in jazz

This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1937.

Phil Haynes is an American jazz percussionist and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010s in jazz</span>

In the 2010s in jazz, there was a noted resurgence in the popularity of jazz, particularly in the United Kingdom, where new artists rose to prominence such as Sons of Kemet, Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, and Moses Boyd Young audiences overall also listened jazz moreso than before, with streaming services reporting a spike amongst people under 30. Part of this is attributed to the rise of streaming services, and part to fusions with other genres and collaborations between jazz musicians and popular artists in other genres, such as Kamasi Washington's work with Kendrick Lamar

Jason Adasiewicz is an American jazz vibraphonist and composer.

<i>Varmint</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Jason Adasiewicz

Varmint is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, which was recorded in 2008 and released on Cuneiform. It was the second recording with his quintet Rolldown, featuring cornetist Josh Berman, saxophonist Aram Shelton, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Frank Rosaly.

References

  1. 1 2 Jarenwattananon, Patrick (May 9, 2010). "First Listen: The Claudia Quintet, 'Royal Toast'". NPR . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Lynch, Dave. "The Claudia Quintet". Allmusic . Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 University of Michigan School of Music (2001). School of Music Programs. Rowman & Littlefield Education. ISBN   9781565450394.
  4. Ratliff, Ben (December 24, 1997). "Jazz Review: No Matter the Sounds, It's a Drummer's World". The New York Times . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  5. Ratliff, Ben (August 4, 2003). "Jazz Review: A Joking Drummer Constructs Innovation". The New York Times . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  6. "The Claudia Quintet discography". Allmusic . Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved January 23, 2022.