American drummer and composer John Hollenbeck formed the quartet George when thinking about the Greek name Georgios, which was derived from the Greek word georgos meaning «farmer, earthworker», itself derived from the elements γῆ (ge) meaning «earth» and ergon meaning «work». And lent itself to such iconic names as George Washington Carver, George Clooney, George Floyd, George Wein, Georgia (the state and the country), Georgia O’Keefe, Saint George, George Michael, George Carlin, George Clinton, George Frideric Handel, and George Orwell.
The debut album of George, Letters to George (Out of Your Head, 2023), featured Canadian tenor sax player and flutist Anna Webber, Colombian, Canada-based synth-player and vocalist Chiquita Magic (aka Isis Paola Giraldo), and American vocalist and sax player Aurora. The sophomore album of George, Letters to George, was recorded in Berlin’s Hansa Studios in November 2024 and features Canadian vocalist and synth player Sarah Rossy, who replaced Aurora.
Hollenbeck says that the album’s title reflects his understanding that consonance means that people keep their own independent opinion rather than seeking false stability and harmony. «I’m aware that even gestures meant to honor life can provoke resistance or offense, as was the case with the naming of this band, our tribute to George Floyd», he writes. Looking for Consonance suggests ten dense pieces that seek sonic consonances and dissonances, with dense textures, clever asymmetric rhythms, and atonal harmonies, and radiate a clear statement for a better, hopeful, and just world.
Looking for Consonance salutes such Georges, who were not shy of resisting the status quo, with their dissonant music, or political causes, like avant-garde jazz trombonist, composer and author George Lewis, or the most beautiful, openly emotional covers of the song of Lebanese diva Fairouz ‘Nassam Alayna El Hawa (نسم علينا الهوى’. «The Breeze Blew Upon Us,» composed by the Rahbani brothers), sung in Arabic and reflecting longing for a homeland and «a diasporic offering for peace», and of Cuban singer-songwriter-guitarist Silvio Rodriquez’ «Unicornio», dedicated to the Global South, in movement and resilience, and sung in Spanish. The last piece, the Weather Report-tinged, «Wayne Phases», is dedicated to an honorary George, sax player and composer Wayne Shorter.
And just like Letters to George, Letters to George offers a cycle of idiosyncratic, thought-provoking, opinionated, and intelligent pieces about looking, about aspiration, and bout hope. These propulsive, eclectic pieces refuse to subscribe to definite genres or styles, appeal to both the body and the soul, and are performed by a great band.
Eyal Hareuveni
Anna Webber (tenor saxophone, flute, alto flute), Sarah Rossy (voice, synthesizer), Chiquita Magic (synthesizers, voice), John Hollenbeck (drums, glockenspiel, composition)
