Jazz / Bop
Holly Hofmann Flute
Victor Lewis Drums
Bill Cunliffe Piano
Bob Magnusson Bass
Bobby Shew Trumpet
Bruce Egre Engineer, Digital Editing
Don Better Producer
Herb Wong Liner Notes
Holly Hofmann is such a talented flutist that it is remarkable that she is still not all that well-known; certainly she ranks up there with Frank Wess and Lew Tabackin among the bop-oriented players. On her set for Azica, she enlisted a particularly strong supporting cast (trumpeter Bobby Shew, pianist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Bob Magnusson, and drummer Victor Lewis) for a set dominated by obscure but superior material. Hofmann's opening cadenza to one of the date's two standards ("Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise") gets the set off to a particularly strong start, and virtually all of the tracks that follow are rewarding in one way or another. Among the highlights are Bobby Shew's "Red Snapper" (which deserves to be a standard), Mike Wofford's "Afterthoughts" (a strong modal piece in tribute to John Coltrane), Hoffman's thoughtful "And Now You," and the cooking blues "Bone-Crusher." Throughout, both Shew and Cunliffe (the latter a very sympathetic accompanist whose improvisations are consistently strong) get their share of solos, while Magnusson and Lewis are excellent in support. A fine straight-ahead date. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Holly Hofmann
Active Decades: '80s, '90s and '00s
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz
An excellent bop-oriented flutist, Holly Hofmann began on the flute when she was five. She had extensive classical training and, in 1984, when she moved to San Diego, Hofmann began playing jazz full-time. She worked with James Moody, Slide Hampton, and Mundell Lowe, among others, before making her recording debut on Capri (1989). Hofmannwent on to record fine straight-ahead dates for Jazz Alliance (1992) and Azica, lead her own groups, and played regularly in the San Diego area.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
