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 Foreman, 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, George the magazine, etc…

GEORGE is:
Anna Webber – tenor sax/flute
Aurora Nealand – voice/sax/keyboards
Chiquita Magic – keyboards/voice
John Hollenbeck – drums/composition

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, so good luck with that! 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 will be released on Flexatonic Records in the spring of 2022. They will tour the US and Canada in the spring/summer of 2022 and in thenear future, other locations on planet Earth.

Anna Webber is a flutist, saxophonist, and composer whose interests and work live in theaesthetic 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.

Aurora Nealand is most recognized for her performance on saxophones, clarinet and vocals and has been at the forefront of the revival of New Orleans with her band, the Royal Roses. Nealand is also the leader/frontman of New Orleans premier rockabilly band Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers, and performs frequently with her solo project, The Monocle. In 2010 and2011 she appeared frequently as herself in the HBO TV series, Treme.

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 newmusic 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.