“Somehow, he manages to contribute a unique, fresh voice in a field that is crowded with excellent recordings.” --Avant Music News
Christopher Hoffman - Asp Nimbus (OOYH 009): With Asp Nimbus, cellist Christopher Hoffman very intentionally sought to make a more straight-forward recording than his 2018 release, Multifariam. Multifariam was an electro-acoustic tour de force in the vein of Miles Davis’ electric years, MF Doom, and the horror/sci-fi composer John Carpenter. Hoffman played mad scientist, chopping and pasting studio recorded snippets from Gerald Cleaver, Tony Malaby, Christina Courtin, Craig Weinrib and a slew of others into what was a 16-track masterpiece. Asp Nimbus is not that kind of album. Inspired by Bobby Hutcherson's Oblique and Happenings, and Henry Threadgill's Everybody’s Mouth's a Book (Hoffman is a mainstay in a number of Threadgill’s ensembles of the past 10 years), Asp Nimbus was recorded in January 2020 with the goal of capturing the group dynamic and raw live energy of their quartet performances.
That is a surprisingly difficult feat to achieve in the studio, yet this album exceedingly succeeds in doing so. With the exception of the piano contribution of David Virelles on Dylan George there are no overdubs, and we hear the music exactly as it was performed. The recording presented a new kind of challenge for Hoffman as a soloist, as he previously tended to write music that was predominantly collective in nature. Since Asp Nimbus is a more traditionally jazz-oriented album, Hoffman is featured heavily as a leading voice. He absolutely shines when placed front and center, and this recording is sure to further cement his place in the top-tier of improvising cellist/composers active today.
Hoffman chooses the title of each piece to reflect the vibratory state that he finds in the music. For instance, the first track Discretionary reflects a growing attitude in the world today--the idea of acting on one's own authority or judgment. The second track, Dylan George, was written for his late brother who passed unexpectedly in 2016. By chance they overdubbed David Virelles’ part on Dylan George while on break during a studio session for a new Henry Threadgill composition. Hoffman considered it an added blessing to have Henry in the room listening while they recorded. To hear Chris speak of it, it is obvious that this piece in particular means a lot of things to him, and ultimately it's a tribute to Dylan.
Knowing that he wanted vibraphone when forming the quartet in Fall of 2018, Bryan Carrott was an immediate and obvious choice, as Hoffman has long loved his playing in Threadgill's Make A Move, on Dave Douglas' Witness, and as a part of The Lounge Lizards. Hoffman and drummer Craig Weinrib play together a lot, most notably in Henry Threadgill’s Double Up, and are frequently recruited in tandem as side-people by the likes of Jonathan Finlayson and Roman Filiu for their deep connection. Bassist Rashaan Carter and Weinrib have a similar special relationship, and together are a propulsive force throughout Asp Nimbus. Cello, vibraphone, bass, and drums are an atypical instrumentation for what Hoffman considers to be a more traditional jazz album (in fact, I can’t cite one recorded example of this exact instrumentation).
By default the combination will pull your ear towards chamber music and contemporary classical, and Hoffman’s work in film, whether intentional or not, surely contributed to the cinematic arc that is present over these 8 tracks and 32-minutes. There aren’t many recordings of any genre to compare it to, and whatever the inspiration was for Asp Nimbus the result is unique. That alone makes it an album worthy of repeated listening, but the masterful performance of these four world-class improvisers, and the compositional maturity on display is sure to demand attention as one of the finest recordings of 2021. Asp Nimbus is due out March 26, 2021 on Out Of Your Head Records in both digital and vinyl formats.
“...a great example of how advanced and complex in great hands can sound simply great.” --Jazz Music Archives
1) Discretionary
2) Dylan George
3) Asp Nimbus
4) Angles Of Influence
5) Orb
6) Non-Submersible
7) For You
8) The Heights Of Spectacle
Christopher Hoffman - cello, compositions
Bryan Carrott - vibraphone
Rashaan Carter - bass
Craig Weinrib - drums
David Virelles - piano (track 2 only)
All Compositions By Christopher Hoffman
Produced, Mixed & Mastered By Christopher Hoffman
Recorded January 8 & 9 2020 by Lily Wen at Figure 8 Studios
Christopher Hoffman is a cellist and film-maker. He has the honor of performing in Henry Threadgill’s Pulitzer Prize winning ensemble Zooid as well as Double Up & 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg. Chris regularly performs with the Grammy nominated Anat Cohen Tentet, Anna Webber Septet (featured on her critically acclaimed Clockwise), Rudy Royston’s Flatbed Buggy, Michael Blake string band, Tony Malaby, and the Christopher Hoffman Quartet. He has worked with Martin Scorsese (Shutter Island) and has performed with Yoko Ono, Bleachers, Butch Morris, Marc Ribot, Christina Courtin, Spring Awakening, Anthony Coleman, Marianne Faithfull, Ryan Adams, Iron & Wine, Jeremiah Cymerman, Michael Pitt & many others He has performed at the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Newport Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, David Letterman, North Sea Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Saalfelden, SF Jazz, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Walker Arts Center and all over western Europe & the United States. christopherhoffman.com
