Brussels Vocal Project with composer and drummer John Hollenbeck has created modernized versions of classic tales. The composer used lyrics written by the collective to explore the possibilities of an unusual setting: fives voices and drums. Humor flirts with strangeness in these contemporary pieces while never losing focus on the narrative. Hollenbeck is a composer of music uncategorizable beyond the fact of being always identifiably his. A conceptualist able to translate the traditions of jazz and new music into a fresh, eclectic, forward-looking language of his own invention, intellectually rewarding yet ever accessibly vibrant. A drummer and percussionist possessed of a playful versatility and a virtuosic wit. Most of all, a musical thinker – whether putting pen to paper or conjuring spontaneous sound – allergic to repetition, forever seeking to surprise himself and his audiences.
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