Mike Holober/Marvin Stamm Duo + Quartet

The Mike Holober/Marvin Stamm Quartet: Dennis Mackrel (drums), Mike McGuirk (bass), Mike Holober (piano), Marvin Stamm (trumpet)

Mike Holober, Marvin Stamm, Mike McGuirk, Dennis Mackrel, at the Deer Head Inn, Delaware Water Gap, January 2020

Mike Holober/Marvin Stamm Quartet, Maureen's Jazz Cellar, May 17, 2018

Mike Holober and Marvin Stamm, Nyack Library Carnegie Room, 2013. Photo by Ralph Mirielo

Read a review by Ralph Mirielo of the duo concert at Nyack Library's Carnegie Room in the Huffington Post:   
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/marvin-stamm-and-mike-hol_b_3322555

LIVE @ MAUREEN'S JAZZ CELLAR

Marvin Stamm/Mike Holober Quartet

Mike and Marvin began playing together after meeting through their work with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Regular Sunday afternoon duo sessions nurtured a close friendship, and a unique musical connection. When joined by bassist Mike McGuirk and drummer Dennis Mackrel, the scope of their intimate conversation expanded, resulting in a deeply
Mike and Marvin began playing together after meeting through their work with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. Regular Sunday afternoon duo sessions nurtured a close friendship, and a unique musical connection. When joined by bassist Mike McGuirk and drummer Dennis Mackrel, the scope of their intimate conversation expanded, resulting in a deeply satisfying interactive dialogue. As the group evolved into a regular “working” quartet, Maureen’s Jazz Cellar in Nyack NY became their favorite place to play. The club’s intimate scale, and the genuine warmth of the audience and staff, made it a perfect setting for the group’s musical concept. When the club’s owner David Budway suggested a live recording, it seemed like a natural fit. And this is the result: four established artists, each a virtuoso unto himself, caught “in the moment,” playing the music they love. The intimate interplay of the group is its signature characteristic, revealing how closely they are listening, and how much they are attuned to one another. The tracks, which include two originals and several familiar jazz standards, evolve with remarkable synchronicity. This is a set of pure "blowing," and extraordinary group empathy. It is blatantly honest, devoid of ego or attitude, and exemplifies what jazz is meant to be: traditional in its roots, yet modern, beautiful and swinging. On this session, you can hear why when jazz artists “work,” it’s called “playing.”
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Recent gigs have included performances at The Germantown Performing Arts Center in Memphis Tennessee, Jazz Forum Arts in Tarrytown, NY, and The Deer Head Inn, in Delaware Water Gap, NY. The group also performs regularly at Maureen’s Jazz Cellar, in Nyack NY, and recently completed a live recording as part of the club’s live recording series.  

Marvin Stamm began his career touring with Stan Kenton and Woody Herman in the 1960s, and after moving to New York he gained considerable recognition as a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, the Duke Pearson Big Band, as well as performing with Frank Sinatra and the Benny Godman Sextet.  During this period Stamm was also a first-call studio player, recording with jazz luminaries, as well as popular artists such as Paul McCartney.  Stamm has also released multiple recordings over the years as a soloist, and with artists such as Bob Mintzer, Terry Clarke, Phil Markowitz, Lincoln Goines, and Bill Charlap.  He has also released several recordings with long-time collaborator Bill Mays, and with the Soph/Stamm project featuring Ed Soph on drums, Bill Mays on piano, and Rufus Reid on bass.  

Described by Downbeat Magazine as “one of the finest modern composer/arrangers of our time” Mike Holober’s recent release Mike Holober & the Gotham Jazz Orchestra:  Hiding Out  was nominated for a 2020 GRAMMY®award.  Trained as a classical pianist and conductor, Holober began his apprenticeship as a jazz pianist and composer after moving to New York City in 1986. He has released seven recordings as a leader and can be heard on over 70 recordings as a sideman.  His projects include Balancing Act (a jazz octet with voice, The Gotham Jazz Orchestra, and most recently The Mike Holober/Marvin Stamm Quartet.  Holober’s work as a composer and arranger for the WDR and hr-Big Bands and Westchester Jazz Orchestra has earned him a reputation as one of the jazz scene’s most respected jazz writers. As an educator, Holober is a full Professor at The City College of New York, where he has taught for 25 years, and he served as Associate Director of the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop from 2007-2015, where he taught with Director Jim McNeely. 

Bassist Mike McGuirk grew up in Portland, Oregon, and received a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas, where he studied with Jeff Bradetich.  In 1997, he won the International Society of Bassists jazz bass competition. He has played and/or recorded with John Abercrombie, Marc Copland, David Liebman, Tim Hagans, Don Friedman, Joey Baron, Andy Laverne, Eliot Zigmund, Adam Nussbaum, Bennie Wallace, Mulgrew Miller, Billy Drummond, Renee Rosnes, Walt Weiskopf and Eddie Henderson among others.  Recently, he can be heard on Marc Copland's Lunar featuring David Liebman, and Jed Levy's Round and Round on Steeplechase records. 

A child prodigy, Dennis Mackrel began playing drums when he was 2 years old.  In 1983, at 20 years of age, he joined The Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1990 Mel Lewis chose him as his successor for the drum chair in The Mel Lewis/Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.  A seasoned musician and clinician, Dennis has worked extensively with such ensembles as The Carla Bley Very Large Band, Slide Hampton and the Jazz Masters, The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Band, The Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, The Carnegie Hall Classic Jazz Orchestra, The Hank Jones Trio, The Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, and The American Jazz Orchestra. In 1994, he appeared on Maria Schneider’s Grammy Award-winning recording Evanescence.   His compositions and arrangements have been recorded and performed internationally by ensembles such as The WDR Radio Big Band in Cologne, Germany , The RIAS Radio Big Band in Berlin, Germany, The Klüvers Big Band in Aarhus, Denmark, and most notably The McCoy Tyner Big Band, whose Grammy winning CD's "The Turning Point" and "Journey" included four of Dennis's arrangements. Other notable musicians Dennis has performed with include: Monty Alexander, Don Sebesky, John Pizzarelli, Harry Connick Jr., Lionel Hampton, Buck Clayton, Grady Tate, Kevin Mahogany, Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Chris Connor, Quincy Jones, Clare Fischer, and George Shearing.

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