Mike Holober

Jazz and a Little Blues with Mike Holober and John Mayall

by Jerome Wilson
December 21, 2022

This show mixes a bit of blues and soul with jazz vocals, guitar, and large ensembles. Musicians involved include John Mayall, Mike Holober, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and Karrin Allyson. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 DIVA Jazz Orchestra “Heart" from DIVA Swings Broadway (Diva Jazz) 00:50 Gil Evans Orchestra “Lunar Eclipse" from Hidden Treasures Volume One: Monday Nights ...

Mike Holober & Balancing Act: Don't Let Go

by Jack Bowers
June 2, 2022

With Don't Let Go, pianist Mike Holober and the octet Balancing Act seemed to have found an ideal way to cross-breed classical motifs and contemporary jazz to produce a pleasurable listening experience. Then he added lyrics. Granted, not all lyrics are superfluous—even those that are either nebulous or indecipherable, as is too often the case here. It's simply that some listeners may be more receptive to an alternative in the form of, say, Marvin Stamm's trumpet, Dick Oatts' or Jason ...

Scott Reeves: The Alchemist

by Edward Blanco
October 8, 2021

Trombonist, composer and band leader Scott Reeves once performed a live concert at the City College of New York with his then quintet, which has now been documented as his newest offering entitled The Alchemist. However, new is not the operative word here, as this musical event took place on May 5th, 2005. While concentrating on compositions and recordings for his jazz orchestra over the last ten years, the pandemic provided Reeves with the opportunity to review the music he ...

Scott Reeves Quintet: The Alchemist

by Jack Bowers
July 21, 2021

Devastating as it has been, the global Covid-19 pandemic has produced a few upsides as well, one of which is the rediscovery by versatile Scott Reeves of a concert that his quintet performed sixteen years ago, in May 2005, at the City College of New York. With time on his hands as a result of the scarcity of gigs during the pandemic, Reeves visited his archives and found the recording, which he never intended to release owing to audio issues. ...

The 4th of July

by AAJ Staff
July 4, 2021

The 4th of July Music and lyrics by Mike Holober Music. Publisher: Connect the Dots Music BMI. How do we get there from here? a child asks her eyes open wide no fear that distant shore where hope and love are law Sparklers in small hands parades and marching bands unfurl your hopes and let them fly Why reminisce lose yourself in this? here's why ...

Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk, Dennis Mackrel: Live at Maureen's Jazz Cellar

by Jack Bowers
August 21, 2020

Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel; when musicians of that caliber gather onstage to record a live supper club session, even the diners snap to attention and harken closely lest any phrase or nuance eludes the ears. Such was the case on a December evening in 2019 at Maureen's Jazz Cellar in Nyack, NY (once home to the incomparable Zoot Sims) when the quartet held its audience in thrall for more than an hour as the tape ...

Mike Holober: Marvin Stamm/Mike Holober Quartet Live @ Maureen's Jazz Cellar

by Nicholas F. Mondello
August 3, 2020

One of the many things sorely missed in the 2020's COVID situation is that cornerstone of jazz—the live-in-a-club performance. Live at Maureen's Cellar provides a vivid recollection of what pre-plague joy we had.. This fine recording presents that intimate club vibe, offering engaging extended solos, ensemble (and audience) interaction, and the emotional range that jazz delivers uniquely in person. The four Aces—Marvin Stamm, Mike Holober, Mike McGuirk and Dennis Mackrel--offer seven selections: two fine Holober originals and ...

Marvin Stamm & Mike Holober

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 13, 2020

Trumpeter and flugelhornist Marvin Stamm's recording legacy is astonishing. If you sail through his discography at his Wikipedia entry, his list of recordings runs about a quarter of a mile. In addition to leadership albums starting in the early 1960s through to today, Marvin was on albums by every major artist from the period, from Thad Jone/Mel Lewis's Consummation to the Average White Band's exceptional first AWB album, from albums by Stan Kenton and Gary McFarland to Gato Barbieri, James ...
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CCNY Professor's Musical Journey Down the Hudson to Debut April 10

Source: Michael Ricci
April 1, 2010

Mike Holober to Lead Westchester Jazz Orchestra in Premiere Performance

In addition to teaching in the Music Department at The City College of New York (CCNY), noted jazz composer and pianist Mike Holober serves as artistic director and conductor of the Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO). On Saturday, April 10, he will lead the ensemble in the premiere of his composition “Flow: In Celebration of the Hudson River." The concert, at the Town Hall Theatre in Irvington, New York, begins at ...
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CD: Mike Holober

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
January 15, 2009

Mike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra, Quake (Sunnyside). Pianist-composer-arranger Holober chooses not to call his large congregation a big band. His scoring justifies the term orchestra. Balancing lushness with motion in and through the horn and rhythm sections, he evokes nature; the rustling of aspens in “Quake," bird song in “Thrushes." He is equally creative in his own pieces and in reinventions of songs by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Holober's soloists, including himself, are among the best ...
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