BIO

John Hollenbeck

John Hollenbeck is a genre-crossing composer and percussionist, renowned in both the jazz and contemporary music worlds. Widely recognized as the driving force behind the unclassifiable Claudia Quintet, GEORGE, and the ambitious John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, his work blends influences from jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. Known for his ability to integrate his deep interest in contemporary composition and spiritual practice, Hollenbeck’s music is both expressive and advanced, accessible yet deeply nuanced. A six-time GRAMMY nominee, Hollenbeck has earned accolades in multiple categories, including Best Jazz Large Ensemble Album for Songs You Like a Lot, All Can Work, A Blessing, and Eternal Interlude; Best Instrumental Composition for “Falling Men” from Shut Up and Dance; and Best Arrangement for his interpretation of Jimmy Webb’s “The Moon’s a Harsh Mistress” from Songs I Like a Lot. Hollenbeck’s career spans collaborations with some of the most revered musicians in jazz, including Bob Brookmeyer, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, and Kenny Wheeler. He is also a leading figure in the new music community, particularly known for his long-standing partnership with Meredith Monk. Among his many honors, Hollenbeck has received a 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2010 ASCAP Jazz Vanguard Award, and the prestigious 2012 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award. His extensive catalog of commissioned works includes projects for the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Ethos Percussion Group, University of Rochester, Melbourne Jazz Festival, Orchestre National de Jazz, and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band. From 2005 to 2016, he served as Professor of Jazz Drums and Improvisation at the Jazz Institute Berlin and joined the faculty of McGill University Schulich School of Musicin 2015. In 2024-2025, Hollenbeck is a Ken Pulling Visiting Scholar in Jazz Studies at the Berklee School of Music. His most recent releases include Colouring Hockets with the NDR Bigband, featuring Matt Moran and Patricia Brennan, and The Gray Cottage String Quartets, part of the Ryan Truesdell project, Synthesis.