The Claudia Quintet is proof positive that the pessimists were wrong: jazz is not dead, despite being embalmed by major labels and confined by the narrow-minded to dead-ends. The stunningly original and lyrical works of this NY based ensemble, led by composer/drummer John Hollenbeck, reveal breathtaking new vistas for jazz beyond genre walls. In compositions that meld mental challenge with charm, captivating audiences with austere beauty or propulsive grooves, jazz breaks through its rigid shell, recombines with a myriad of other musics, and is reborn in a transcendent new form. Hollenbeck melds influences from classical minimalism (Terry Riley, John Adams, Steve Reich), new music composition (Morton Feldman, Peter Garland), and progressive /post-rock (Tortoise, The Necks) with a jazz sensibility and a unique, acoustic orchestration. The resulting music is as fresh as a new, living, breathing life form.

The Claudia Quintet emerged from the alt jazz/ new music scene that percolated around the East Side NY venues Tonic, and its predecessor, alt.coffee in the 1990s. It grew out of the Refuseniks, a collective consisting of John Hollenbeck (percussion), Ted Reichman (accordion), and Reuben Radding (bass). In 1997, after Radding left NY, Hollenbeck formed a group to perform his own compositions, which he named The Claudia Quintet after an ephemeral and near-mythic Refusenik fan. On the quintet’s 3rd release, Semi-Formal, Claudia’s lineup expands beyond its usual acoustic orchestration, to include Hollenbeck on drums, keyboards, and fan(!); Drew Gress on acoustic bass and guitars (electric & pedal steel); Matt Moran on vibraphone, keyboards and baritone horn; Ted Reichman on accordion, guitars (electric & acoustic), and keyboards; and Chris Speed on clarinet, tenor sax, and keyboards.