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 years. He has performed and recorded alongside such notable collaborators as Han Bennink, Roy Campbell, Jr., John Tchicai, Garrison Fewell, Cecil McBee, Steve Swell and Matt Wilson.
Hofbauer 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.
Hofbauer has earned critical acclaim for his work in a variety of musical projects, including recordings with the Garrison Fewell’s Variable Density Orchestra, The Pablo Ablanedo Octet(o), Charlie Kohlhase’s Explorer’s Club, and The Blueprint Project with Han Bennink among others. His newest group is the Eric Hofbauer Quintet. The EHQ preforms Hofbauer’s jazz arrangements of groundbreaking 20th century pieces which he describes as “prehistoric jazz.” These arrangements celebrate the common ground between modern jazz and the works of Stravinsky, Messiaen and Ives by using the shared rhythmic and harmonic concepts of the 20th century modernists as a bridge to postmodern jazz improvisation. In November of 2014 the EHQ recordings Prehistoric Jazz Volume 1 (The Rite of Spring) and Volume 2 (Quartet for The End of Time) were featured on NPR’s Fresh Air by noted jazz writer Kevin Whitehead.
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Album Review
- The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man by Troy Dostert
- Remains of Echoes by Troy Dostert
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Multiple Reviews
- Eric Hofbauer Quintet: Prehistoric Jazz – Volumes 1 & 2
- Eric Hofbauer Quintet: Prehistoric Jazz – Volumes 1 & 2
Album Review
- American Grace by Mark Corroto
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Album Review
- Level by Nic Jones
- Eric Hofbauer: American Fear! by Tom Greenland
April 23, 2012
Eric Hofbauer Crowd Funds American Grace
June 22, 2011
Eric Hofbauer and the Infrared Band - Level (2011)
August 18, 2010
Eric Hofbauer to Celebrate New CD at Johnny D'S September 15th
August 09, 2010
The Jazz Session #189: Eric Hofbauer
March 25, 2009
Creative Nation Music to Celebrate 5th Anniversary with Two-Day...
March 18, 2009
Creative Nation Music Showcase at Hartford's Real Art Ways
August 04, 2008
Guitarist Eric Hofbauer Featured in the Boston Herald
June 16, 2008
Eric Hofbauer & the Infrared Band's Myth Understanding Released Today
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
Primary Instrument
Guitar
Location
Boston
Willing to teach
Advanced only