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Eric Hofbauer

“Eric Hofbauer has become a significant force in Boston’s improvised-music scene,” declares Stereophile’s David R. Adler. “His aesthetic evokes old blues, Americana, Tin Pan Alley, bebop, and further frontiers. There’s a rule-breaking spirit but also an impeccable rigor, a foundation of sheer chops and knowledge, that put Hofbauer in the top tier of guitarists,” he writes.

Hofbauer has been an integral member of Boston’s jazz scene as a musician, bandleader, organizer and educator for the past twenty five years. He has performed and recorded alongside such notable collaborators as Han Bennink, Roy Campbell, Jr., John Tchicai, Garrison Fewell, Cecil McBee, George Garzone, Sean Jones, John Fedchock, Steve Swell and Matt Wilson.

Hofbauer, recognized in the 2022, 2019 and 2017 DownBeat Critics’ Poll for Rising Star – Guitar, is perhaps best known for his solo guitar work featured in a trilogy of solo guitar recordings (American Vanity, American Fear and American Grace). Of the trilogy, Andrew Gilbert of The Boston Globe writes, “No other guitarist in jazz has developed a solo approach as rigorous, evocative, and thoughtful as Hofbauer. His 2016 solo release Ghost Frets, was described by Chris Haines of The Free Jazz Collective “as a real testament to Hofbauer’s musical style and vision…The playing is virtuosic throughout providing a real master class in creative solo performance.” 

The latest large-scale endeavor by Hofbauer is a five part series of original suites, each named after one of the elements (water, fire, wood, metal, and earth) featured in the Chinese philosophical construct known as Wu Xing. The first release, 2019's Book of Water, is a classic jazz-sextet lineup which Jerome Wilson of All About Jazz describes as "a thrilling ride that rolls, swirls and crashes like an elemental force. The horn players are exuberant, the rhythm section is buoyant and Hofbauer, whether carving out single notes like Derek Bailey or tossing off busy runs like Joe Morris, threads the music together. There is delicacy and power in equal measure on this excellent release, one of the best of the year so far." The second release in the series, 2020’s Book of Fire, was conceived in a duo format with Anthony Leva on upright bass. The duo’s acoustic performance is augmented by the addition of electronic instrumentation (MPC1000 drum machine and turntables) and the intertwined recordings of literary giant James Baldwin. The result is an intense amalgam of consonance and texture; tradition and innovation. Burning Ambulance’s Todd Manning describes the project in this way, “the virtuosity displayed by Eric Hofbauer is staggering at times, but his acumen as a composer is even more impressive. Despite the varied influences and elements at play, Book of Fire is both remarkably coherent yet sonically unpredictable.”

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Album Review

Dylan Jack Quartet: Eine Quartett des Grauens

Read "Eine Quartett des Grauens" reviewed by Geno Thackara


Often--or at least usually, or sometimes? Let's say sometimes--the classics are classics for a reason. Any horror buff has their own ideas where to go for some creepy-crawlies and jump scares, but they'll probably all agree (on some level) that the most old-school classics set down the blueprint before moving pictures were even matched up with sounds. As Halloweeny films go, Dylan Jack and friends recognize 1922's silent-cinema staple Nosferatu as one of the true old guard, with a world-of-its-own ...

2
Album Review

Dylan Jack Quartet: The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man

Read "The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero


Rispetto al quartetto che aveva brillantemente debuttato nel 2017 con Diagrams vi è l'avvicendamento del clarinettista Todd Brunel con il trombettista Jerry Sabatini ma la scrittura messa in campo dal batterista leader mantiene, in The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man, la medesima sofisticata bellezza, con una interessante evoluzione delle dinamiche e degli impasti sonori. Dylan Jack, figura attiva in vari ambiti della scena musicale bostoniana, si intende a meraviglia con i suoi compagni di viaggio, forte delle ...

2
Album Review

Dylan Jack Quartet: The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man

Read "The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man" reviewed by Troy Dostert


Drummer Dylan Jack has long been a fixture on the Boston jazz scene and, with assorted partnerships including fellow Bostonians Charlie Kohlhase, Jeb Bishop and Bill Lowe, he has kept very busy. But, of late, his most fruitful collaboration may be his recordings with guitarist Eric Hofbauer. The two released the first-rate Remains of Echoes in 2019 (Creative Nation Music), a wide-ranging effort to reinterpret pieces from the jazz tradition and beyond, from Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus to Sting ...

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Album Review

Eric Hofbauer and Dylan Jack: Remains of Echoes

Read "Remains of Echoes" reviewed by Troy Dostert


Always attuned to unusual choices that keep his listeners guessing, guitarist Eric Hofbauer knows no bounds when it comes to his repertoire. One is as likely to hear a Cyndi Lauper or Nirvana cover as something by Thelonious Monk or Charlie Parker. And his stylistic approach on the guitar is similarly idiosyncratic, with a gutbucket blues as likely to spill forth as something more spikily avant-garde. This unpredictable creativity is once again on display on Remains of Echoes, an enticing ...

3
Album Review

Eric Hofbauer: Book Of Water

Read "Book Of Water" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Boston based guitarist and rising star Eric Hofbauer obviously isn't afraid of challenges. But then again, no musician/artist should be if they wish to leave a mark. The compositional intent at first come across rather lofty: a five part, multi-ensemble project interpreting wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, namely the five pillars of Chinese philosophy understood as the “Five Agents," with each element its own book or, in this case, album, containing five chapters or compositions, someone's got to take ...

5
Album Review

Eric Hofbauer's Five Agents: Book Of Water

Read "Book Of Water" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This CD marks the beginning of an ambitious project for guitarist Eric Hofbauer, five connected recordings based on the Chinese philosophical construct of the Five Agents, wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each of these recordings is to have a different instrumental lineup, but for this first one, Book Of Water, he uses an explosive jazz sextet recorded in concert. Apropos of the CD's title, this music flows continuously like water with only brief pauses between the five ...

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Multiple Reviews

Eric Hofbauer Quintet: Prehistoric Jazz – Volumes 1 & 2

Read "Eric Hofbauer Quintet: Prehistoric Jazz – Volumes 1 & 2" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


With sure workmanship and untamed inquisitiveness, Boston-based guitarist Eric Hofbauer is no stranger to confronting unusual yet stimulating music. Examples include 2008's uncharacteristic guitar duo The Lady of Khartoum with Garrison Fewell or the striking American solo series--American Vanity (2004), American Fear (2010) and American Grace (2013)--which crossed distinctive terrains of improvisation and covers of iconic pieces such Louis Armstrong's “West End Blues," Cindy Lauper's “True Colors" and a raucous take on rock group Van Halen's “Hot for Teacher."

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Special Offers

Eric Hofbauer Crowd Funds American Grace

Eric Hofbauer Crowd Funds American Grace

Source: Chris Rich

American Grace will be the culmination of a nine-year solo guitar project called the American Trilogy. Your donation will help complete the recording and production of jazz’s first ever solo guitar trilogy. Your donation will cover costs for studio time, CD manufacturing, design work, and distribution. The philosopher and educator Joseph Campbell once said that “Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths.” This has been my mantra through many years of study, preparation and contemplation in the music I ...

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Recording

Eric Hofbauer and the Infrared Band - Level (2011)

Eric Hofbauer and the Infrared Band - Level (2011)

Source: Something Else!

Boston-based guitarist Eric Hofbauer penned the liner notes to his new album out today, Level, beginning it with the testimony that “the music on Level ... explores the human condition using sound to tell stories." He then goes on to explain that the album “offers nine mythology-themed pieces about duality in the universe and in life—two sides trying to find balance." These are pretty metaphysical and abstract concepts he lays on his listeners, but it actually helps in understanding the ...

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Recording

Eric Hofbauer to Celebrate New CD at Johnny D'S September 15th

Eric Hofbauer to Celebrate New CD at Johnny D'S September 15th

Source: Improvised Communications

On Wednesday, September 15th, guitarist/composer Eric Hofbauer will celebrate his latest recording, American Fear (Creative Nation Music), with a hometown CD release concert at Johnny D's in Somerville, Massachusetts. The opening set will feature selections from the record, an intimate and inclusive collection of solo guitar performances that musically explore how fear is reflected and manifested in American culture. Hofbauer will then be joined by his working quartet, The Infrared Band, to preview several new original pieces from the group's ...

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Radio

The Jazz Session #189: Eric Hofbauer

The Jazz Session #189: Eric Hofbauer

Source: AAJ Staff


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Festival

Creative Nation Music to Celebrate 5th Anniversary with Two-Day Festival March 28-29th

Creative Nation Music to Celebrate 5th Anniversary with Two-Day Festival March 28-29th

Source: Improvised Communications

On Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th, Boston's Creative Nation Music will present the first Creative Nation Music Festival at the Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The official local celebration of the label's fifth anniversary, and the culmination of its four-state package tour of New England, the festival will feature seven bands over the course of two nights.

Creative Nation Music Festival schedule:

Saturday, March 28th at 7:00 p.m. Ronald Reagan Scurvy

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Performance / Tour

Creative Nation Music Showcase at Hartford's Real Art Ways

Creative Nation Music Showcase at Hartford's Real Art Ways

Source: Improvised Communications

On Saturday, March 21st, Boston's Creative Nation Music will present two of its artists, the Garrison Fewell/Eric Hofbauer Duo and Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band, at Hartford's Real Art Ways. This event is part of the label's Creative Nation Music Showcase Tour, a package tour of four New England states featuring bands from its roster. Creative Nation Music is celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2009 with live events, new releases and the launch of a new series of rare, ...

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Performance / Tour

Guitarist Eric Hofbauer Featured in the Boston Herald

Guitarist Eric Hofbauer Featured in the Boston Herald

Source: Improvised Communications


118

Recording

Eric Hofbauer & the Infrared Band's Myth Understanding Released Today

Eric Hofbauer & the Infrared Band's Myth Understanding Released Today

Source: Improvised Communications

A refreshingly original voice, Hofbauer reveals an affable yet mischievous sensibility in his writing and improvising. Aided by the superlative interpretive abilities of his sidemen, Eric Hofbauer and The Infrared Band make Myth Understanding a sterling debut. --Troy Collins, AllAboutJazz.com

Boston's Creative Nation Music is proud to announce the June 17th release of Myth Understanding (Creative Nation Music CNM 011), the debut release from guitarist/composer Eric Hofbauer's year- old working quartet, The Infrared Band. With the same signature ...

AMERICAN GRACE: Eric Hofbauer has become a significant force in Boston’s improvised- music scene… His aesthetic evokes old blues, Americana, Tin Pan Alley, bebop, and further frontiers. There’s a rule-breaking spirit but also an impeccable rigor, a foundation of sheer chops and knowledge, that put Hofbauer in the top tier of plectrists. - David R. Adler, Stereophile American Grace mingles original Hofbauer compositions witha selection of covers judicious enough to rival the books of Brad Mehldeau and the Bad Plus… American Grace is an abundantly expressive and fully affecting guitar recording. - Jeff Tamarkin, JazzTimes Hofbauer plays the guitar like Derek Bailey, if Derek Bailey happened to be born in Mississippi instead of Sheffield England. He chisels sounds both primitive and modern, sometimes simultaneously…In his hands, a guitar can reconfigure “West End Blues” as free jazz or morph Sammy Cahn’s classic “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry” into a devotional melody. Hofbauer reconfigures melodies as if he were a modern primitive, discovering these methods of music- making afresh. - Mark Corroto, All About Jazz American Grace (has) an ambiance that is a rare commodity in the world of modern jazz guitar. The kicker being Hofbauer transcends jazz and most any generic label most critics would insist he be placed under. Eric Hofbauer is an artist. (5 star review) - @CriticalJazz Guitarist Eric Hofbauer has created a masterful showcase with American Grace, a mix of folk, jazz, blues and rock styles. Or, perhaps best described as a deep exploration of American music. Unadorned and uninhibited, the acoustic guitar is recorded clearly, preserved in sonic crystal. -Paul Acquaro, The Free Jazz Collective What is striking, memorable, and sets this music apart is the originality and artistry of Eric the guitarist…It’s a tour de force in plectorial artistry. You need to hear it. Eric Hofbauer has it all going on here. -Grego Applegate, Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog LEVEL:

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Primary Instrument

Guitar

Location

Boston

Willing to teach

Advanced only

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Eine Quartett des...

Self Produced
2023

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The Tale of the...

Creative Nation Music
2020

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Book Of Water

Creative Nation Music
2019

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Remains of Echoes

Creative Nation Music
2019

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Prehistoric Jazz -...

Creative Nation Music
2014

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Prehistoric Jazz -...

Creative Nation Music
2014

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Bail Out Blues

From: American Fear
By Eric Hofbauer

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