When Flooded by Matt Holman's Diversion Ensemble

released March 19, 2013 on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records

Matt Holman (trumpet, compositions)
Mike McGinnis (clarinet, bass clarinet)
Christopher Hoffman (cello)
Nate Radley (guitar)
Ziv Ravitz (drums, percussion)

co-produced by Matt Holman and Alex Heitlinger
recorded by Andrew Felluss @ The Loove, Brooklyn, NY, July 2012
mixed by Marc Urselli @ East Side Sound, NY, NY, September 2012
mastered by G&J Audio, Union City, NJ, November 2012
designed by Elliott Kirby, December 2012

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Selected Reviews for When Flooded:

“Worries go straight out the window once the lush, gorgeous sounds of When Flooded start to play…★★★★”
(Brad Farberman, DOWNBEAT)

“He has a gift for balancing the serene with the zany, while still addressing the importance of melody and lyricism in every aspect of his work…When Flooded, when reduced to its essence, is all about balance. Subtlety and strength, transparency and veiled ideas, and fire and ice all exist in a state of engrossing equilibrium in Holman’s work.”
(Dan Bilawsky, ALL ABOUT JAZZ)

“A record overflowing with richly orchestrated tapestries of sound and beautifully developed melodic ideas… Inspiration from a large gamut of musical sources that stretch far beyond jazz.”
(Seton Hawkins, HOT HOUSE)

“Music with a heavy serenity… Some moments that quicken the heart rate, but mostly beautiful songs that are great for kicking back and drifting off to.”
(Dave Sumner, eMUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK)

“Wondrous, inspiring and thoughtful sounds…”
(George W. Harris, JAZZ WEEKLY)

“The story of When Flooded…is about a burgeoning talent who on his first outing sweats the details like an old vet. Matt Holman sees jazz as an art form, with a heavy emphasis on art.”
(SOMETHING ELSE)

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When Flooded is trumpeter/composer Matt Holmanʼs debut release featuring Matt Holman's Diversion ensemble, his 5-member chamber jazz group. The music is an outpouring of focused, developed, and melodic original compositions that utilize the creative improvisational skills of some of NYCʼs most interesting jazz and sound artists. Utilizing all 5 instrumental groups (brass, woodwind, string, percussion, electronic), the music is able to range from intimate and mediative to sneaky and raw yet always remain expressive and personal.

The Brooklyn, New York based trumpeter/composer/educator Matt Holman is an artist that has found his world of free expression and creativity, and has been recognized by his peers by being a prized sideman for the likes of Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, Kurt Elling, Darcy James Argue (featured on Argue's most recent recording, Brooklyn Babylon), Jon Gordon, Kate McGarry, Matt Ulery, Bob Newhart, Los Amigos Invisibles and The Gregory Brothers. He has also earned national and international performance awards from DownBeat Magazine, the International Trumpet Guild's Jazz Improvisation Competition, the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and the National Trumpet Competition. A former member of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, Holman most recently won the 13th annual BMI Foundation's Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize/Manny Albam Commission. Taking inspiration from such diverse influences as Wayne Shorter, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Sigur Ros, Holman has composed works for Marvin Stamm, Ed Soph, David Baker, Marie Speziale, and The National Conservatory of Costa Rica, and was a 2009 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Competition winner.

In addition to Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Holman is an integral part of many of NYC's finest large ensembles/big bands, a genre that is seeing a strong resurgence of late. He is featured on composer Asuka Kakitani's new recording, Bloom (19/8 Records), and also performs with Andrew Rathburn's Large Ensemble, JC Sanford Orchestra, Nathan Parker Smith Large Ensemble and the Noriko Ueda Jazz Orchestra (coincidentally, Darcy, Asuka, Nathan, and Noriko are all previous winners of the BMI Composer's Award). Holman is the artistic director of the New York Youth Symphony Jazz Band.

While Holman performs and records with plenty of small groups, his new album, When Flooded, showcases the trumpeter/composer utilizing the compositional influence and instrumental colors from his large ensemble experience, tailor-made and fine-tuned for his spry and nimble chamber-jazz group, featuring Mike McGinnis on clarinet & bass clarinet (The Four Bags, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Lonnie Plaxico), Christopher Hoffman on cello (Marc Ribot, Henry Threadgill, John Ellis, Harry Eisenstadt, Devotchka), Nate Radley on guitar (Loren Stillman, Alan Ferber, Ted Poor, Adam Nussbaum) and Ziv Ravitz on drums and percussion (Lee Konitz, Shai Maestro, Omer Avital, Avishai Cohen).

"Trumpeter Matt Holman is a creative and thoughtful improviser with a world-class sound. I expect big things from him in the years to come."
(Fred Hersch, pianist/composer)

"There are many prodigiously talented young instrumentalists out there. The ones with something to say - and a clear idea of how to say it - are altogether thinner on the ground. Matt Holman's strikingly beautiful debut speaks with intelligence, focus, and conviction."
(Darcy James Argue, composer/bandleader)

"Matt Holman is a trumpeter and composer with a fresh, lyrical voice. Like his music, Matt is warm, caring, and quietly passionate."
(Pat Harbison, trumpeter/educator)

www.mattholman.com