Peace and Justice is a title that in usual circumstances means reaching out to confront war and injustice. Instead, the war and injustice reached out and upended and transformed the very project that ended up with this title. The positive aspect of this is, some great art was made along the way.
That’s due to the drummer John Hollenbeck. Yes, he’s a heckuva drummer but the thing that’s long set him apart from most other drummers is his composing and arranging acumen, a reputation sealed through his Claudia Quintet projects and continuing with the GEORGE ensemble. When Ukrainian music curator Olha Bekenshtein sought modern arrangements of Ukrainian music, she tabbed Hollenbeck to undertake the task with a commission in late 2021. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a few months later ended the commission before it even got off the ground but later in the year Hollenbeck hunkered down at a studio with Portugal’s Hot Club Jazz Orchestra and recorded a set of mostly his originals that retains a connection to the country fighting for its very survival and standing in unity with it.
The Hot Club Jazz Orchestra in Hollenbeck’s hands sounds not so much like a big band all the time but rather a small band with a big sound. Meaning, the arrangements often require the nimbleness of a small ensemble, so it often sounds like small ensembles stacked on top of each other.
That comes to mind from the opening salvo. Somehow, Hollenbeck found this Turkish pop hit “Sinanari” and built an arrangement that involves setting off cascades of the chorus. To top it off, he sets it to a driving, funk-rock rhythm.
“Red Shades” is an adaptation of the song “Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow” composed in 1914 by Stepan Charnetskyi and rejuvenated early on as a Ukrainian anthem in the current war. In Hollenbeck’s hands it’s a meticulously constructed piece that manifests deep passions and national pride. Nuno Costa’s Bill Frisell-like guitar gets to the core of the song’s spirit.
“In The Middle of the Yard” goes back much further than 1914 as a traditional Ukrainian Christmas carol. Hollenbeck re-fits it in thoroughly modern clothes, starting with casting a soul-drenched saxophone as the lead voice.
Geri Allen’s “Feed the Fire”, a trio tour de force with Ron Carter and Tony Williams, is greatly expanded by Hollenbeck, who took the taut motif and added swinging elements to it that never stray too far from Allen’s original vision. Hollenbeck’s drums are crisp and leaning hard into the orchestra.
It’s Hollenbeck’s own “Peace and Justice” that ended up as this undertaking’s cornerstone. As a drummer, Hollenbeck shows off his trademark flair for integrating punctilious harmonies with equally exacting rhythmic patterns that combine for a complete, stylish and advanced jazz symphony.
“Racing Heart, Heart Racing” is a chart Hollenbeck first intended for another orchestra, quickly establishing several interlocking parts that works its way toward a supple melody that flows like a brook in spring. “Sighs” breaks outside the box of conventional orchestration, using a prepared piano and spoken words in both English and Portuguese.
The power of a jazz orchestra makes it an effective tool to get out of message of hope and aspiration even when lyrics are not involved, and no one can harness the power quite like John Hollenbeck.
Peace and Justice is out now, courtesy of Hollenbeck’s nonprofit Flexatonic Records label. Obtain your copy from Bandcamp.
- John Hollenbeck & the Hot Club Jazz Orchestra – ‘Peace and Justice’ (2026) - September 9, 2026
- Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin – ‘Second Attempt’ (2026) - September 1, 2026
- Sylvie Courvoisier w/ Patricia Brennan, Thomas Morgan + Dan Weiss, “At Risk” (2026): Something Else! sneak peek - August 28, 2026
