Search - John Hollenbeck :: Rainbow Jimmies

Anything John Hollenbeck touches is awesome

E. Williams | St Pete, FL | 04/30/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A strange and imaginative CD from one of the most creative composers in Jazz. My favorites are those that feature the Claudia Quintet (my personal bias), but there are some other tracks I really enjoy. The Ziggurat tracks are both very interesting--Hollenbeck says "My interest in architecture led me to create a piece that explores the sounds of construction and the teamwork required to construct a building. I arranged the composition structurally to reflect the workings of a construction team intent on completing a sacred structure. In ziggurat (exterior), the role of "contractor" was ably performed by Brian Sweigart, who spontaneously guided and shaped the `building' of this piece. The setting for ziggurat (interior) rests in the construction of the sacred rooms inside a Ziggurat where four artisans work together intimately during certain stages of construction, and in other stages part in order to focus their energies on separate but equally important tasks."

Anyways, give this CD a chance if you like abstract, minimalist, abstract, 12-tone, avant garde, improvisational, or just plain crazy music. And if you haven't listened to the Claudia Quintet, go do it!



1) Gray Cottage Study #1 "lost in fog" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone

2) Gray Cottage #2 Study "getting chilly" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone

3) Gray Cottage Study #3 "my deer" Todd Reynolds, John Hollenbeck-drums

4) Gray Cottage Study #4 "healing and gratitude" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone, John Hollenbeck-drums

5) Gray Cottage Study #5 "dustish" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone

6) Gray Cottage Study #6 "jazz hands" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone, John Hollenbeck-drums

7) Gray Cottage Study #7 "tax penalty payment approaching" Todd Reynolds-violin, Matt Moran-vibraphone, John Hollenbeck-vibraphone/drums

8) Sinanari (acoustic remix) The Claudia Quintet

9) Ziggurat (exterior) The Youngstown Percussion Collective and Saxophone Quartet

10)Ziggurat (interior) Ethos Percussion Group

11)Rainbow Jimmies The Claudia Quintet with special guest, Mark Stewart-guitar"