GEORGE (with James Falzone's When Will Soon Be Then?)

GEORGE (with James Falzone's When Will Soon Be Then?)

“…when the band nails down its unique blend of vintage funk and futuristic electronica on tracks like “Washington Carver” and “Iceman,” GEORGE’s energy is as infectious as a perfect pop tune. “ —Jude Noel, Pitchfork 

"enigmatic, punchy and compact" "Magic happens in the margins and the middle, between analog and digital textures, genre detours and a collective will which is dogmatically subject to change." --Josef Woodard, DownBeat 

 “Letters to George is a remarkable debut for its captivating, provocative compositions, arrangements, and performances by a veritable supergroup.” —Thom Jurek, AllMusic 

GEORGE is:

Anna Webber-tenor sax/flute

Sarah Rossy-voice/keyboards

Chiquita Magic-keyboards/voice

John Hollenbeck-drums/piano/composition

GEORGE

From the Greek name Georgios, which was derived from the Greek word georgos meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements γῆ (ge) meaning "earth" and ergon meaning "work".

George Washington Carver, George Gervin, George Clooney, George Floyd, George Wein, Georgia (the state and the country), Georgia O’Keefe, Saint George, George Saunders, George Michael, George Carlin, George Clinton, George Frideric Handel, George Orwell, Boy George, Curious George, George the magazine, etc…

John Hollenbeck formed GEORGE during the Covid pandemic. He brought together three great musicians/people whom he loved and admired for a long time!  Even though most of the members had never met each other, John was confident from knowing them himself, that this group would immediately be, as one of the members calls it, "tight" (which means "very cool" in case you were wondering). Their group sound is firmly planted outside any categories or labels!   They remotely recorded a literal "Proof of Concept" in March 2021 and finally met in person in January 2022 in Montreal, Canada where they recorded  "Letters to George", which was released on vinyl/cd/digitally on Out Of Your Head Records in January 27, 2023. On August 27th, 2023, GEORGE released "shorts", 4 re-composed remixes based on improvisations from their 1st recording session. On May 1st, 2026 GEORGE will will release "Looking for Consonance" on Out Of Your Head Records!

Anna Webber is a flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live in the aesthetic overlap between avant-garde jazz 

and new classical music. She was recently named a 2021 Berlin Prize Fellow and was voted the top “Rising Star” flutist in the 2020 

Downbeat Critic’s Poll. 

Sarah Rossy  is a vocalist, keyboardist, composer and producer based in Montreal, Canada. Sarah's practice combines live electronic processing with jazz, folk, and Arabic music to create autobiographical, ethereal, and socially-outspoken soundscapes. Recent themes in Sarah's work include ancestral continua, intergenerational linkage and community healing. A debut audiovisual album, a tender autobiographical soundscape imagined through a kaleidoscopic electronic jazz lens entitled 'OF WHO WE HAVE BECOME', is set for release in 2024.

Isis Paola Giraldo AKA Chiquita Magic is a latinx artist/producer hailing from Colombia and based in Canada. She uses microtonal synthesizers, her voice, and a drum machine to create a unique sound that can be described as futuristic electro pop with elements of EDM, hip hop, cumbia, funk, reggaeton, choirs & jazz.

Genre-crossing composer/percussionist John Hollenbeck, renowned in both the jazz and new-music worlds, has gained widespread recognition as the driving force behind the unclassifiable Claudia Quintet and the ambitious John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, groups with roots in jazz, world music, and contemporary composition. He has earned six GRAMMY nominations and has worked with many of the world's leading musicians in jazz including Bob Brookmeyer, Fred Hersch, Tony Malaby, and is well known in new-music circles for his long-time collaboration with Meredith Monk.