Mike Holober . Projects: Mike Holober Quintet

PROJECTS

Thought Trains Reviews:

Robert R Calder
All About Jazz . April 2005
Mike Holober's not just another pianist working within long-established post-Bill Evans methods, he's one of the rare very individually creative ones. Given his more monumental approach, his Gotham Jazz Orchestra can seem something of an extension of his piano work.…Planned and grand."

Jack Bowers
Cadence . April 2005
"The title of pianist Mike Holober’s album is candid and evocative. This is music that also moves…as the music is as fresh and thought provoking…. It’s an invigorating ride that builds momentum with the bustling “Jump Down, Spin Around” and keeps chugging steadily through seven more of Holober’s descriptive compositions, each one sharp and stylish… Naturally, any train needs a dependable crew, and Holober surely has one here. Drummer John Riley stokes the furnace while everyone else takes care of business, assuring a relatively smooth and trouble-free excursion. …The ensemble is keen and able, Holober an attentive conductor who makes sure the train is securely on track."

Will Smith
DownBeat . February 2005
"Pianist Mike Holober establishes a strong identity as a jazz composer of substance with Thought Trains by creating personal musical terrains that are mostly "through-composed," thus placing the works in a distinct realm in which his soloists sublimate their improvisational ideas to his vision. …Holober has merely found a way of expressing another creative sound world. He has done a grand job of blending his writing with the timbres of the individual players, taking pages along the way from the books of both Duke Ellington and George Russell."

Dr. Herb Wong
IAJE Jazz Education Journal, Volume 37 #4
"Holober's imaginative writing loads up fresh, unexpected palettes on this CD. …a keen harmonic sense and a sharpened skill… giving unfailing rewards with unremitting satisfaction. His versatility and resourcefulness come across in the diverse contexts from the opener onward through the program of eight pieces."

Harvey Siders
JazzTimes . December 2004
"Mike Holober's Thought Trains… presents the kind of challenge that an imaginative arranger used to display his chops — and does he ever… The combination of Carter and Holober, sharing solo honors, provides one of the album's highlights… masterful… orchestral clusters worthy of Gil Evans… It's all part of the Holober concept of intelligent swing that can be found on all tracks… The changes are unconventional but very beautiful."

Ron Comiskey
The Irish Times . November 2004
"…documents a powerhouse big band with stellar soloists… Holober's charts are packed with incident, their contrapuntal ways reminscient of Bill Holman… They're also beautifully executed by a band molded into a precise swinging unit by Holober."

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide . November 2004
"Including some of the finest session musicians available in New York City (who make up the Gotham Jazz Orchestra), the big band devours his enticing charts whole… Although it took nearly eight years for this to be released, it was well worth the wait."

Jazz Scene, November 2004
"I'm not really sure what 'cutting edge' means, but I think this may be it. Holober's New York cast of high wire musicians takes on a program of original material with sometimes rather 'out' results, but always with super-charged musicianship."

John Kelman
AllAboutJazz.com . October 2004
“With a wide range of instrumental doubling, tripling and, in some case, quadrupling, Holober is able to paint with an extremely broad palette... the closest precedent... is in the larger orchestral works of composer/arranger Vince Mendoza. But where Mendoza often works around patterns that originate in computer sequences, Holober's approach is more organic, without losing any of its modernity and verve... There's no question that Holober's lively charts, which manage to incorporate unique twists and turns without losing their innate sense of swing, are demanding of the players while remaining completely approachable by listeners. And, while the record is more a forum for Holober's fine compositional and arranging skills, there's still plenty of space for his fine piano work, a strong blend of the Evans, Jarrett and Jamal schools. Thought Trains... demonstrates just how broad Holober's musical reach truly is.”

Dan McClenaghan
AllAboutJazz.com . October 2004
"Holober put together a group of first call players… inspired solos in front of the unwaveringly concise rhythm laid down by Carter, Riley and Holober. Brilliantly arranged…."

Lee Prosser
JazzReview.com . October 2004
"Mike Holober is a versatile composer and Thought Trains showcases his remarkable talents in many different ways. This collection of original work will stimulate the jazz audience with its innovative stylings. The music is crisp, enjoyable, and understandable… Excellent big band collection. Original!"

Time Coakley
Schenectady Daily Gazette . October 2004
"This is a bright, pulsating big band with engaging soloists and imaginative arrangements. Definitely a worthy addition to the big band section of anyone's record shelf."

John Killoch
Mainly Big Bands . July 2004
"…an exciting surprise… unexpectedly and surprisingly accessible… a must for those who enjoy music that rewards and stimulates the imagination.."