Composer/arranger Mike Holober releases his ambitious new album, This Rock We’re On: Imaginary Letters this Friday, June 14, 2024 via Palmetto Records
In his ★★★★ 1/2 star DownBeat review, Ed Enright writes “Mike Holober’s Gotham Jazz Orchestra brings big-city virtuosity and rarefied sensibility to a double-disc, multi-movement program of original compositions inspired by the great outdoors… an utterly moving, long-form suite that finds pianist Holober… at the height of his deep-rooted composing/arranging expertise. A grand-scale masterwork…”
“The tunes featuring the vocalist provide a compelling contrast with the Gotham Jazz Orchestra’s instrumental selections (the bulk of the two-disc recording)—against pieces such as ‘Domes,’ an exultant big band statement, and ‘Tower Pulse,’ a masterful work of sleek modernism. In this juxtaposition, Holober’s talents as a composer for both a large ensemble and an intimate voice cannot be underestimated: these are magnificent expositions both musically and literarily.” – Suzanne Lorge, NYC Jazz Record
“Holober has brought a profound artistic vision to bear on today’s jazz scene and confirmed his standing as one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time, in the tradition of Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely.” – Ed Enright, DownBeat
“This Rock We’re On – Imaginary Letters’ feels like vespers sung for the Anthropocene before night falls.” – environmental justice activist and author Terry Tempest Williams
