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Fred Lonberg-Holm

Chicago based cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm grew up in Wilmington Delaware where he began formal cello studies at the age of 10. Eager to move away, he did so immediately after High School relocating to New York. There he studied with a variety of teachers in a number of schools and other situations. After receiving his bachelors in composition at Brooklyn College, he attended Mills College where he spent time with Anthony Braxton among others. Since then he has moved to Chicago where he leads his Valentine Trio (with Jason Roebke, bass and Charles Rumback, drums) and organizes intermittent concerts for his large ensemble, the Lightbox Orchestra. He is also a member of Ken Vandermark's Frame 4tet and Vandermark 5, Joe McPhee's Survival Unit III, The Broetzmann Chicago 10tet,Tony Malaby's cello trio, Jorrit Dykstra's Flatlands Collective, the Fast Citizens, Sherpa, Horses Ha, Boxhead Ensemble, Microgig, Thruway and numerous other even more irregularly employed ensembles. In the past he worked with God is my Co-Pilot, the Selfhaters Orchestra, Peep;, the Flying Lutenbachers and the Guillermo Gregorio Trio. Other musicians he has performed with include Axel Doerner, Nate Wooley, Jaimie Branch, Magnus Broo, greg Kelley and Raj Mehta. His solo records are on Emanem, Flyingaspidistra and Eighth Day. He has also recorded for Atavistic, Okka, Knitting Factory, Bot-Rop Boy, Hapna, BoxMedia, Meniscus, Nuscope,Nottwo, and Truckstop. He has appeared on numerous pop records also including recordings by Wilco, Freakwater, Lake of Dracula, Rivulets, Kaki King, and Paul Duncan. As a sound artist he has made a number of installations including a recent one in the Fern Room at the Lincoln Park Conservatory in Chicago and one at the Geschiedle gallery. In addition to a full performance and recording schedule, he also teaches in the sound department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as privately.

Awards

Nancy Parisi took the nice photo of me.

Gear

Quintus c-f cello, david gage realist, art mic-pre, various 'stomp' boxes

Joëlle Léandre: Lifetime Rebel

Read "Lifetime Rebel" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
September 25, 2024

Joëlle Léandre is the definition of a force of nature. She is unstoppable, unforgettable, and full of boundless energy. It is the nature of her force that recordings like Lifetime Rebel attempt to capture. These four CDs--plus an interview and solo performance DVD--capture a moment, but just a moment of her inexhaustible spirit, before she moves on. Recorded in 2023, Léandre was honored with a lifetime achievement award during New York's Vision Festival. The performances captured are by diverse and ...

Album Review

Ballister: Smash and Grab

Read "Smash and Grab" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
January 29, 2024

A listener might have a premonition when they drop the needle on the hot pink vinyl version or push the play button on the CD or digital download of Smash And Grab by the trio Ballister. They understand, or have knowledge by way of the trio's ten previous releases, that a storm awaits them. The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love conjure a tempest of sound that simply refuses to become background music.

Album Review

Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Mat Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris, Matt Moran: Seven Skies Orchestra

Read "Seven Skies Orchestra" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
January 14, 2024

Ever the intrepid innovator, saxophonist Ivo Perelman takes his music in a new direction on the double-disc set, Seven Skies Orchestra. After a long series, primarily of duets, Perelman returns to a larger ensemble setting, a sextet in this case. That is not the only difference between this release and his previous output; the music here, although still entirely improvised and easily recognizable as Perelman's, moves in a more spacious, contemplative direction, less introspective and more outgoing. Vibraphonist ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Seven Skies Orchestra

Read "Seven Skies Orchestra" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
November 26, 2023

In another reality, where the love one makes is what gets the headlines, the big money, the streaming specials, ceaselessly inquisitive saxophonist and downtown legend Ivo Perelman might just top the list of good guys. The guy who pushes for the better mind, the better heart, and confesses it all to tape or lacquer or binary code; chronicling one man's pursuit of the day. while hopefully inspiring others to cut the course the same. Even before the most ...

Album Review

Brötzmann / Leigh / Lonberg-Holm: Naked Nudes

Read "Naked Nudes" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
April 7, 2023

This new trio of saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh, and Fred Lonberg-Holm operating both his cello and electronics, explore the musical equivalent of microgravity. Captured as part of the saxophonist's 80th birthday celebration concerts in August 2021 in his hometown of Wuppertal, Germany, the sounds achieve a perception of levitation. Credit the suspension of gravitational force to Leigh and Lonberg-Holm, both collaborators with Brötzmann; Leigh and the saxophonist have been working in duo together since 2015 and ...

Album Review

The Chicago Plan: For New Zealand

Read "For New Zealand" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 15, 2022

German reedman Gebhard Ullmann and American trombonist Steve Swell, front line comrades for over 15 years in a variety of outfits, reunite on For New Zealand for the second release from their joint led initiative The Chicago Plan. Rounding out the foursome and providing some allusion to the band's moniker are the Windy City pairing of drummer Michael Zerang and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm (although the latter decamped to Kingston, NY in 2017 following a 22-year stay). They share deeper connections ...

Album Review

Dave Rempis: Chrysopoeia

Read "Chrysopoeia" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
August 11, 2022

Recorded at Krakow's legendary Alchemia just two days before Znachki Stilyag (Aerophonic Records, 2020), on the same European tour, the power trio Ballister comprising saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, demonstrates an astonishing level of consistency in terms of both energy and excellence. Chrysopoeia constitutes the triumvirate's tenth release over some dozen years of existence, one which confirms that time and familiarity yield multiple benefits. While two pieces well in excess of the 20-minute ...

Festival

Jazz this week: Ronnie Burrage, a trio of local festivals, Fred Lonberg-Holm, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
June 26, 2015

It's another busy weekend for live jazz and creative music in and around the St. Louis area, with homecoming visits from a couple of distinguished expats, local festivals taking place in three different parts of the metro area, a performance from a notable participant in Chicago's thriving improvised music scene, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Thursday, June 25 The Gateway City Big Band plays a free outdoor concert at Chesterfield Amphitheater, and the Tavern of Fine Arts presents ...
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Recording

Seval Releases New LP "I Know You" on 482 Music.

Source: Two for the Show Media
January 8, 2011

Can music be gentle and intense, expansive and intimate? Seval answers that question in the affirmative on i know you (482 Music), eight tracks of sonically rich and emotionally uplifting music that is cozy and airy, panoramic and passionate, but never slight or lethargic. Formed by the Chicago-based cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and filled out by Stockholm's Sofia Jernberg (vocals), Patric Thorman (bass), Emil Strandberg (trumpet) and David Stackenäs (acoustic guitar), Seval is rooted in jazz but doesn't stop at jazz's ...
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Event

Tuesdays on the Terrace: Fred Lonberg-Holm

Source: All About Jazz
August 6, 2008

Tuesdays on the Terrace presents another inspiring season of free evening jazz concerts on the MCA's Terrace and Sculpture Garden. Hosted by local radio personalities, visitors are invited to enjoy cocktails, Puck's Express snacks, or a dinner buffet from Puck's Cafe while listening to Chicago's finest jazz musicians. Dinner reservations at Puck's are recommended, call 312.397.4034. In case of rain, the event takes place in Puck's.

WHAT: Tuesdays on the Terrace

WHO: Fred Lonberg-Holm

WHEN:
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Performance / Tour

Tuesdays on the Terrace: Fred Lonberg-Holm Valentine Trio

Source: All About Jazz
June 28, 2007

Tuesdays on the Terrace presents another inspiring season of free evening jazz concerts on the MCA's Terrace and Sculpture Garden. Hosted by local radio personalities, visitors are invited to enjoy cocktails and appetizers with cheese, crackers, and fruit or full dinner while listening to Chicago's finest jazz musicians. Dinner reservations at Puck's are recommended, call 312.397.4034. In case of rain, the event takes place in Puck's. Tuesdays on the Terrace: Fred Lonberg-Holm Valentine Trio Tuesday, July ...
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Ahhh, the press!