Q & A with Jazz Ensemble leader John Hollenbeck

The award-winning leader of the Claudia Quintet, John Hollenbeck, agreed to a quick Q & A session via email. We discussed the formation of the Claudia Quintet, the future of Jazz, and his worst concert ever–which included an Italian heckler who beckoned for Hollenbeck to “Speak English.” Note to self: never order your salad before your entrée in Italy. Read on:

Q: You said on your wikipedia page that you wanted the Claudia Quintet to have a   “female quality.” What do you mean by this?

HOLLENBECK: Jazz-based music is dominated by men and it usually has a lot of male energy and male qualities. The actual sound of this band, is a soft sound-even at our harshest. Also to generalize male=intellectual, female=emotional….although a generalisation-I have found it to have a lot of truth to it. So it is something to keep in mind, to try to use emotion more as a music/compositional force.

Q: I was told in one of my History of Jazz classes that Jazz music is “dying” and becoming “a museum piece.” Do you agree with this assertion? Have you felt the effects of this? What are some of the struggles associated with being a successful jazz musician in today’s musical age?

HOLLENBECK: Jazz was once “pop” music with the associated majority of listeners intact. Now it is one of many small minorities. But I do not think about the above assertion because this assertion uses a certain type of jazz as the basis of it’s theory. I am alive and my cohorts are too and what we play some people would call jazz.  That being said, the support for jazz, like many others things has gone down alot in many countries that once had the means to supported the music and the musicians-this is being felt by today’s “jazz” musician for sure. But we have no choice but to keep playing the music we love for people who also love it.

Q: If you hadn’t chosen the drums to be your primary musical instrument, what else might you have chosen and why?

HOLLENBECK: The drums chose me….as I carry my drums throughout the world, many people tell me that I should have taken up the flute-which from a logisitical point of view seems like a good idea.

Q: How does the composing process begin for you? Where do you find inspiration, and what are you trying to communicate through your music?

HOLLENBECK: Inspiration comes from everyday life….anything….a name, an experience, a number, a person, a book, a speech, etc……Each composition comes from one of these little inspirations. Beauty, which is subjective, is what I’m trying to convey.

Q: What was your worst concert ever, and why?

HOLLENBECK: Interesting question! I cannot think of one that pops up.     As an improviser, you get use to dealing with the moment and things not going the way you had thought they would. So when I think about this question, what comes to mind are concerts that could have been the worst because something unexpected happened (like someone getting sick or some piece of equipment not working)but usually me and my friends deal with it and make it ok. I once played a gig where we tried something that made the audience basically stop listening, we became background music, so when we stopped, no one even noticed…. but I have fond memories of this moment for it’s uniqueness. Once I played in Italy with the Claudia Quintet and tried to speak Italien to the audience that was more interested in eating and talking then listening …at some point one person yelled “speak english”-also the band was not happy with me because at dinner I asked for the salad first instead of salad at the end-and the waiter did this for everybody—so it was not my favourite evening, but I can say it was the worst…and now with time that too is a fond memory-at least for the other members of CQ.

Q: Do you have a favorite jazz album(s)? What era of jazz stands out most to you?

HOLLENBECK: I like it all, nothing pops out as my favourite because I really enjoy all of it.

Q: What advice might you give to aspiring jazz musicians looking to succeed in the music industry?

HOLLENBECK: The question itself gives me a pit in my stomach. Music and industry are two words that are artificially connected but really do not belong together. I would say try to do what you love and if you can do that, consider yourself lucky.

Q: In forming your ensemble, why did you choose to have an accordion and a vibraphone?

HOLLENBECK: It was more the people that were chose-it happened that they played interesting instruments. I had played with Ted Reichman for a year before in a collective trio called Refuseniks, and I met Matt Moran on a random gig in Germany around the same time….so playing with them was just an experiment that I soon realized really worked in a fresh and beautiful way.

 Q: How has your playing changed/evolved since playing in the Claudia Quintet?

HOLLENBECK: Hopefully I has gotten better with age and experience.

I know that from the beginning , I continue to try to play softer, to find a clear sound that does not get in the way of the other instruments. and I am more calm when things are not perfect, but I’m still trying to evolve.

Q: Who are some of your favorite jazz drummers?

HOLLENBECK: Elvin Jones, Jack Dejohnette, Baby Dodds, Joey Baron, Jim Black, Philly Joe Jones, Doug Hammond

The Claudia Quintet, led by John Hollenbeck, will perform at the Brooklyn Conservatory of music this Thursday, June 14th. Purchase tickets HERE