Mike Holober . Projects: Mike Holober Quintet

PROJECTS

Wish List Reviews:

David Miller
All About Jazz
“[T]hese five musicians play so together that the recording possesses that quality that is present on the early Blue Note recordings. Considering these guys have names like Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, the Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock on their resumes, the fact that they check their respective egos at the door is no small achievement... Patitucci and Blade are a revelation throughout... Wish List is a strong recording which brings together some of the best musicians from the current generation...“

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide at Billboard.com
Mike Holober's third CD for Sons of Sound gave him the opportunity to record a working band rather than one just assembled for the sessions... the pianist was open to suggestions for each chart, making it more of a cooperative unit than a "leader plus sidemen" gig...”

Drumhead Magazine
“Put together your dream team of jazz musicians and you’d end up with something akin to the lineup found on Mike Holober’s new release, Wish List... Known for performance and composition, pianist Holober here has recorded seven original melodic compositions that run the gamut of influences. From Latin-influenced compositions to ballads, along with two interpretations of popular songs... the album Wish List paints a majestically inspired sonicscape.”

George W. Carroll
EjazzNews
“Jazz pianist Mike Holober covers the spectrum from mainstream jazz to avante garde. And, his originals provide us with his insider's knowledge of his idiom. His project acts as a guide... taking us on a sojourn down his creative road of long flowing lyrical lines & sonorous harmonies which qualities are manifest & evident in his compositions. With Holober's attitude towards texture & taste, I predict a solid international reputation in the making.”

Thomas Conrad
Jazz Times
“Each track is meticulously arranged and polished until it sparkles. Solos fill planned spaces within complete, proportional forms... It works because Holober has taste—as composer, arranger, pianist and especially as bandleader, where he makes impeccable personnel decisions... There is a graceful, airy optimism in Holober’s music, reinforced by the ensemble treble brightness of soprano saxophone/piano/guitar. “Opening Day” is quiet joy... “Tulainyo” (for “the highest lake in the continental U.S.”) is also an affirmation, a simple line threaded through the strongest solo statements on the album by Holober, Ries and Muthspiel.”

Ray Comiskey
The Irish Times
“The latest from pianist, composer and orchestrator Holober is an engaging example of his multiple talents, among them getting the right people to interpret his work. In this case they're exceptional... The leader's seven originals are couched in performances full of incident, contrast, character and rhythmic flexibility, with lovely lines, great harmonic awareness and a notable ability to extract colour from such a small ensemble. Yet it's all done so deftly that the flow and arc of each performance is a natural, relaxed progression, a point readily appreciated, on first listen...”

Jill McManus
Newark Star Ledger
“With piquant sounds and inventive shapes, composer and pianist Mike Holober... creates his own world, incorporating jazz, contemporary sounds and fusion... Holober's new CD is an intriguing, exquisitely played foray into fresh territory... On Holober's seven originals, the instruments blend in different ways to accentuate the leader's bittersweet visions...”