John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, A Blessing - 1h 2m 45s

Tracks & Durations

1. A blessing	16:03
2. Folkmoot	7:28
3. RAM	8:12
4. Weiji	5:55
5. Abstinence	12:12
6. April in Reggae	7:23
7. The Music of Life	5:27

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Review

John Hollenbeck doesn't march to the beat of a different drummer; he is that drummer ... and percussionist and composer. And maybe that's why interdisciplinary performance pioneer Meredith Monk enlisted John to collaborate on her recent projects and calls him "one of the most brilliant musicians I've had the privilege of working with."

A Blessing, this debut recording of his "Large Ensemble" (he thinks of the 18-piece aggregation as an "ensemble of musicians" rather than a big band) takes big band sound, energy, and force, and uses it a way that doesn't sound dated or generic to create personal, non-genre specific music.

In addition to the fascinating extended melodies and overlaid rhythmic textures that are trademarks of John's approach, varied timbres (including "bowed vibes," English horns, and the human voice as an ensemble instrument) color and illuminate the music. Otherwise quirky juxtapositions of materials and ideas make sense together when John combines them. "April in Reggae" — replete with a quote from "April in Paris" toward the end — is a tune John intended to "swim in between reggae and swing." His "Folkmoot" honors pianist and radio host Marian McPartland and saxophonist/composer Jimmy Giuffre.

The non-verbal voice of vocally astounding Theo Bleckmann, "the band's secret weapon," permeates the record, ranging from the panting and grunting in "Weiji," to sci-fi outer space sounds whirring by in "Abstinence," to instilling pure and ethereal tone as it intermingles with bassist Kermit Driscoll's bass harmonics at the end of "The Music of Life." And Bleckman also delivers two texts — a blessing and a prayer — that appropriately enough frame the CD.

John based "A Blessing" on the words to the Irish Blessing that were printed on the mass card at his grandmother's funeral. "While I had seen this text many times, it didn't resonate with me until that moment," recalls John. Likewise, "The Music of Life," with words from Hazrat Inayat Khan, fits that utopian ideal. John describes the piece as "a simple chant-like piece that sums up why we are doing what we are doing. Because we feel that music can change lives, it can heal."

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