From vintage funk to infectious electronic futurism, this energetically enigmatic group “likes to blur the distinctions between the knotty virtuosity of jazz and the broad appeal of pop” (Pitchfork). Known as the leader of the prolific and constantly surprising Claudia Quintet, drummer/composer/bandleader John Hollenbeck formed GEORGE remotely during the pandemic. The group finally met in Montréal to record 2023’s Letters to George, followed that summer by shorts, four re-composed remixes based on improvisations from their initial remote recording session. With Anna Webber tenor sax/flute, Sarah Rossy voice/keyboards, and Chiquita Magic keyboards/voice alongside Hollenbeck, GEORGE’s sound is firmly planted outside any categories or labels, but “magic happens in the margins and the middle, between analog and digital textures, genre detours and a collective will which is dogmatically subject to change” (DownBeat).