WISH LIST (Mike Holober)

Mike Holober Quintet

“Put together your dream team of jazz musicians and you’d end up with something akin to the lineup found on Mike Holober’s new release, Wish List . . . . Known for performance and composition, pianist Holober here has recorded seven original melodic compositions that run the gamut of influences. From Latin-influenced compositions to ballads, along
“Put together your dream team of jazz musicians and you’d end up with something akin to the lineup found on Mike Holober’s new release, Wish List . . . . Known for performance and composition, pianist Holober here has recorded seven original melodic compositions that run the gamut of influences. From Latin-influenced compositions to ballads, along with two interpretations of popular songs . . . . the album Wish List paints a majestically inspired sonicscape.”
Drumhead Magazine
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Released September 19, 2006
Sons of Sound

All compositions by Mike Holober except Blackbird (Paul McCartney & John Lennon), and Nancy (Jimmy Van Heusen). 

Mike Holober (Piano) Tim Ries (Tenor & Soprano Sax) Wolfgang Muthspiel (Guitar) John Patitucci (Bass) Brian Blade (Drums) 

REVIEWS

“[T]hese five musicians play so together that the recording possesses that quality that is present on the early Blue Note recordings. Considering these guys have names like Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, the Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock on their resumes, the fact that they check their respective egos at the door is no small achievement . . . . Patitucci and Blade are a revelation throughout . . . . Wish List is a strong recording which brings together some of the best musicians from the current generation . . . . The music is consistently at a high level, with patches of brilliance . . . ." 
David Miller, “Mike Holober:  Wish List,” All About Jazz, November 1, 2006 

“Each track is meticulously arranged and polished until it sparkles. Solos fill planned spaces within complete, proportional forms... It works because Holober has taste—as composer, arranger, pianist and especially as bandleader, where he makes impeccable personnel decisions... There is a graceful, airy optimism in Holober’s music, reinforced by the ensemble treble brightness of soprano saxophone/piano/guitar. “Opening Day” is quiet joy... “Tulainyo” (for “the highest lake in the continental U.S.”) is also an affirmation, a simple line threaded through the strongest solo statements on the album by Holober, Ries and Muthspiel.” 
Thomas Conrad, “Mike Holober:  Wish List,” Jazz Times, January/February 2007 

“The leader's seven originals are couched in performances full of incident, contrast, character and rhythmic flexibility, with lovely lines, great harmonic awareness and a notable ability to extract colour from such a small ensemble. Yet it's all done so deftly that the flow and arc of each performance is a natural, relaxed progression, a point readily appreciated, on first listen . . . .” 
Roy Comiskey, “Mike Holober Wish List Sons of Sound,” Irish Times, October 27, 2006 

"Mike Holober's third CD for Sons of Sound gave him the opportunity to record a working band rather than one just assembled for the sessions . . . . One can feel the resulting energy in tense pieces like the leader's 'Tulainyo' . . . .  This is another rewarding date by a veteran jazz educator who deserves wider recognition." 
Ken Dryden, "AllMusic Review,  Allmusic.com, n.d. 

“Put together your dream team of jazz musicians and you’d end up with something akin to the lineup found on Mike Holober’s new release, Wish List . . . . Known for performance and composition, pianist Holober here has recorded seven original melodic compositions that run the gamut of influences. From Latin-influenced compositions to ballads, along with two interpretations of popular songs . . . . the album Wish List paints a majestically inspired sonicscape.” 
Drumhead Magazine 

“Jazz pianist Mike Holober covers the spectrum from mainstream jazz to avante garde. And, his originals provide us with his insider's knowledge of his idiom. His project acts as a guide . . . . taking us on a sojourn down his creative road of long flowing lyrical lines & sonorous harmonies which qualities are manifest & evident in his compositions. With Holober's attitude towards texture & taste, I predict a solid international reputation in the making.” 
George W. Carroll, EjazzNews 

“With piquant sounds and inventive shapes, composer and pianist Mike Holober . . . creates his own world, incorporating jazz, contemporary sounds and fusion . . . . Holober's new CD is an intriguing, exquisitely played foray into fresh territory . . . . On Holober's seven originals, the instruments blend in different ways to accentuate the leader's bittersweet visions . . . .” 
Jill McManus, Newark Star Ledger