Eric Hofbauer
Eric Hofbauer (born January 31, 1974, Rochester, New York) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader, and educator based in Boston, Massachusetts. He is known for his solo guitar trilogy, the four-volume Prehistoric Jazz series with the Eric Hofbauer Quintet (EHQ), and the ensemble EHX. Hofbauer has been recognized four times in the DownBeat Critics' Poll for Rising Star – Guitar (2017, 2019, 2022, 2024)[1][2][3][4]</ref> and serves as Chair of Jazz and Contemporary Music at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.[5]
Early life and education
Hofbauer was born in Rochester, New York in 1974. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Paul Bley and Ran Blake.[6]
Career
Early work
After completing his studies, Hofbauer became an active figure in the Boston improvised music scene as a performer, bandleader, and organizer. Early projects included the North by Northwest band and the Blueprint Project, a collaboration with saxophonist Jared Sims that also featured bassists Cecil McBee and drummers Matt Wilson and Han Bennink.[6] His other collaborators have included John Tchicai, Garrison Fewell, George Garzone, and Steve Swell.[5]
Solo guitar
Hofbauer released a series of solo archtop guitar recordings that became a central part of his reputation: American Vanity (2002), American Fear (2010), American Grace (2012), and Ghost Frets (2016), all on his own Creative Nation Music label. The Boston Globe's Andrew Gilbert wrote that "No other guitarist in jazz has developed a solo approach as rigorous, evocative, and thoughtful as Hofbauer."[5] Stereophile's David R. Adler described him as "a significant force in Boston's improvised-music scene," adding that "there's a rule-breaking spirit but also an impeccable rigor, a foundation of sheer chops and knowledge, that put Hofbauer in the top tier of guitarists."[5] DownBeat's Josef Woodard gave the solo guitar trilogy a four-star review.[7]
Eric Hofbauer Quintet and Prehistoric Jazz
Hofbauer formed the Eric Hofbauer Quintet (EHQ) to record his Prehistoric Jazz series — four albums of jazz quintet arrangements of major twentieth-century classical works. The series title was inspired by a remark Leonard Bernstein made during a 1987 rehearsal of The Rite of Spring, describing its rhythms as "prehistoric jazz."[8]
The four volumes are:
- Prehistoric Jazz Volume 1: The Rite of Spring (2014) — arrangements of
Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring
- Prehistoric Jazz Volume 2: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (2014) —
arrangements of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
- Prehistoric Jazz Volume 3: Three Places in New England (2016) —
arrangements of Charles Ives's Three Places in New England
- Prehistoric Jazz Volume 4: Reminiscing in Tempo (2017) —
arrangements of Duke Ellington's Reminiscing in Tempo
Volumes 1 and 2 were featured on NPR's Fresh Air by jazz critic Kevin Whitehead, who described the series as "situating the last century's classical music and classic jazz in the same modernist continuum."[9] Volumes 3 and 4 were consecutively named to The Boston Globe's Top 10 Jazz Albums of the Year lists (2016 and 2017).[5] Volume 3 received a four-star review from DownBeat.[7] In 2016 the quintet performed at the BOZAR Theatre in Brussels as part of the "Stravinsky Deconstructed" festival.[8]
Five Agents
Hofbauer's Five Agents project is a five-part suite series, each part named for one of the elements of the Chinese philosophical system known as Wu Xing (water, fire, wood, metal, and earth). Works in the series include Book of Water (2019) and Book of Fire (2021), both on Creative Nation Music, and the climate suite Waking Up! (2023).[7]
EHX and Tongues / Hope Language
In 2026 Hofbauer formed EHX, a fluid ensemble whose instrumentation shifts between string trio, jazz quartet, and full sextet. The group's debut album, Tongues / Hope Language (Creative Nation Music, CNM045), was released on April 9, 2026 as a double album on CD and 2×LP vinyl. The album comprises fifteen jazz arrangements of songs by artists including Radiohead, Björk, Joni Mitchell, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Sigur Rós, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Charlie Parker, Eddie Harris, Carla Bley, and Abbey Lincoln.[10]
Tongues / Hope Language was named among the favorite local albums of April 2026 by WBUR (Boston's NPR news station), with critic Noah Schaffer writing that Hofbauer "has long been one of Boston's most creative and prolific jazz artists."[11]
Charles Ives Society
In 2024, Hofbauer was invited by the Charles Ives Society to participate in two events at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York: a solo lecture filmed in the reconstructed studio of Charles Ives, and a panel discussion titled "All the Way Around and Back: Improvisation and Ives," alongside Bill Frisell, Phil Lesh, Ethan Iverson, Jack Cooper, and David Sanford, moderated by musicologist Judith Tick. Both events were recorded and published on the Charles Ives Society's YouTube channel.[12]
Teaching
Hofbauer is Chair of the Jazz and Contemporary Music Department at the Longy School of Music of Bard College, where he teaches jazz theory, artist portfolio, chamber ensembles, solo repertoire, and guitar.[5] He has taught jazz history at Emerson College for over twenty years and has been visiting faculty at Wellesley College, Clark University, and the University of Rhode Island.[7] In 2009, he received the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in Music Composition.[7]
Discography
As leader
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | American Vanity | Creative Nation Music |
| 2007 | The Lady of Khartoum | Creative Nation Music |
| 2010 | American Fear | Creative Nation Music |
| 2012 | American Grace | Creative Nation Music |
| 2014 | Prehistoric Jazz Volume 1: The Rite of Spring (EHQ) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2014 | Prehistoric Jazz Volume 2: Quatuor pour la fin du temps (EHQ) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2016 | Prehistoric Jazz Volume 3: Three Places in New England (EHQ) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2016 | Ghost Frets | Creative Nation Music |
| 2017 | Prehistoric Jazz Volume 4: Reminiscing in Tempo (EHQ) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2018 | Cull the Heard | Creative Nation Music |
| 2019 | Book of Water (Five Agents) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2019 | Remains of Echoes (with Dylan Jack) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2021 | Book of Fire (Five Agents) | Creative Nation Music |
| 2021 | Period Pieces | Creative Nation Music |
| 2023 | Waking Up! | Creative Nation Music |
| 2026 | Tongues / Hope Language (EHX) | Creative Nation Music |
Awards and recognition
- DownBeat Critics' Poll, Rising Star – Guitar: 2017, 2019, 2022, 2024[13][14][15][16]
- Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in Music Composition, 2009[7]
- Boston Globe Top 10 Jazz Albums of the Year: Prehistoric Jazz Vol. 3 (2016),
Prehistoric Jazz Vol. 4 (2017)[5]
References
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 84 no. 8. August 2017.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 86 no. 8. August 2019.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 89 no. 8. August 2022.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 91 no. 8. August 2024.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 "Eric Hofbauer". longy.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Eric Hofbauer bio". jazzinfo.org. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "EHQ". erichofbauer.com. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Eric Hofbauer Takes On Stravinsky, Messiaen". NPR Fresh Air. 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Tongues / Hope Language". Bandcamp. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Our favorite local music this month". WBUR. 2026-04-30. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "All the Way Around and Back: Improvisation and Ives". YouTube – Charles Ives Society. 2024. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 84 no. 8. August 2017.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 86 no. 8. August 2019.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 89 no. 8. August 2022.
- ↑ "Critics Poll: Rising Star – Guitar". DownBeat. Vol. 91 no. 8. August 2024.
External links
- Official website
- EHX on Bandcamp
- Eric Hofbauer Quintet on Bandcamp
- Faculty page, Longy School of Music
- YouTube channel
Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:American jazz guitarists Category:Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Category:Musicians from Rochester, New York Category:Oberlin Conservatory of Music alumni Category:New England Conservatory alumni Category:Bard College faculty Category:Emerson College faculty Category:American jazz bandleaders Category:American jazz composers
References
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