Mike Holober & Balancing Act, Jazz Octet

Mike Holober & Balancing Act, Jazz Octet, Premiere of Chamber Music America New Jazz Works commission, funded by The Doris Duke Foundation

“Don’t Let Go” is a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works commission and will be premiered at two concerts in the Metropolitan region. This CD-length project is structured as a song-cycle in the tradition of Robert Schumann, Samuel Barber, and Ralph Vaughn-Williams. “Don’t Let Go”explores the nuances and complexities of the concept of “hope” in the context of current social, political, and environmental realities.

Premiere recording Balancing Act was released to critical acclaim in 2015 on Palmetto Records.

“Startlingly creative….emotionally persuasive…” Carlo Wolf, DownBeat

“Full of joy and energy…” Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz

“A work that speaks to both solidarity and individuality..” Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

“Find this music and take it into your heart….” Richard B Kamins, Step Tempest

“Approaching the rhapsodic at several turns…” Mel Minter, Musically Speaking

“This exquisite jewel…agile, savvy…extraordinary and compelling” Volker Mantel, Ragazzi

BIO

Mike Holober has established an international reputation as a jazz orchestra composer, arranger and conductor. With the formation of his octet “Mike Holober & Balancing Act,” and the release of its premiere recording in 2015 (Palmetto Records), he has recently refocused his creative energies to a small group format. The intimately scaled instrumentation has provided a vehicle to explore a more personal musical statement.