GEORGE

Anna Webber  tenor sax/flute
Sarah Rossy  voice/keyboards
Chiquita Magic  keyboards/voice
John Hollenbeck  drums/piano/composition

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From 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”.

George Washington Carver, George Gervin, George Clooney, George Floyd, George Wein, Georgia (the state and the country), Georgia O’Keefe, Saint George, George Saunders, George Michael, George Carlin, George Clinton, George Frideric Handel, George Orwell, Boy George, Curious George, George the magazine, etc…

John Hollenbeck formed GEORGE during the Covid pandemic. He brought together three great musicians/people whom he loved and admired for a long time! Even though most of the members had never met each other, John was confident from knowing them himself, that this group would immediately be, as one of the members calls it, “tight” (which means “very cool” in case you were wondering.) Their group sound is firmly planted outside any categories or labels, so good luck with that! They remotely recorded a literal “Proof of Concept” in March 2021 and finally met in person in January 2022 in Montreal, Canada where they recorded Letters to George, which was released on vinyl/cd/digitally on Out Of Your Head Records on January 27, 2023. On August 27th, 2023, GEORGE released “short”, 4 re-composed remixes based on improvisations from their 1st recording session

Earthworker from the album Letters to George

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“Hear the mesmerizing first track from ‘Letters to George,’…

The group combines strategies from experimental jazz, ambient electronics, chamber music and more — with myriad elements converging on ‘Earthworker,’ which neatly sets Nealand’s wordless soprano against Webber’s flute.

Elsewhere on Letters to George, the group moves into different sonic dimensions, even venturing a spooked-out cover of Sonny Bono’s ‘Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),’ best known for hit versions by Cher and Nancy Sinatra. The album’s gratis track on Bandcamp is a nightmare vision titled ‘Can You Imagine This?’ — opening with a scream, and thrashing forward in a coordinated blur.”
– Nate Chinen, WRTI 90.1

October 17th- 7pm

FREE

Reed College 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd, Portland, OR 97202

 3rio Machado Mijiga Andrew Jones Mike Gamble w/ Special Guest Morgan Luker

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3rio brings together Mike Gamble (guitar/electronics), Andrew Jones (bass), and Machado Mijiga (drums), three of Portland’s most inventive improvisers. Drawing from backgrounds in jazz, experimental music, contemporary composition, and spontaneous collaboration, the trio creates dynamic performances that balance lyricism, texture, groove, and risk. Having performed together in a variety of ensembles and creative music settings throughout the Pacific Northwest, they have developed a shared musical language rooted in deep listening and collective exploration. For this special performance, they are joined by Morgan Luker, ethnomusicologist, composer, and Chair of the Music Department at Reed College, whose work bridges improvisation, contemporary music, and global musical traditions, adding another distinctive voice to the ensemble’s adventurous sound.