Dossier
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Ari Hoenig is a versatile musician, arranger and composer who has had his recorded musical works released with quartets, trios and as a solo artist. In addition, he is the author of a book about melodic arrangements and teaches at the University of New York; a job he also shares by holding conferences about music at various schools & universities during his trips all over the world.

A precocious artist, he was exposed to a great variety of experimental music at an early age. Having parents intimately connected to music, he began studying the piano & violin when he was just six years old.

Born in Philadelphia, USA in November 1973, Hoenig switched to playing drums when he was twelve, and settled fully into jazz at the age of fourteen. He then perfected his talent & skills playing in clubs in his native city, like Ortlieb's Jazz Haus.

Ari studied at the University of Texas for a period of three years, making the most of his time there by playing in the One O'Clock band.. But he wanted to be closer to New York City, and in 1995 transferred to the “William Patterson College”, in New Jersey. Whilst there, he played regularly for the late legendary organist Shirley Scott, also from Philadelphia.

He moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn and set up a whole range of musical collaborations. He soon found himself playing with the “Jean Michel Pilc Trio”, the “Kenny Werner Trio”,the  “Chris Potter Underground”, the “Kurt Rosenwinkel Group”, the “Jazz Mandolin Project”, and other bands featuring artists like Mike Stern, Richard Bona, Pat Martino, Dave Leibman & Bojan Z.

Hoenig formed a quartet towards the end of 2002, and began performing every Monday night at the jazz club Fat Cat, in New York City. Initially, the group was made up of  Jacques Schwarz on sax, Jean Michel Pilc on piano, Matt Penman on bass and Ari on drums. They released two albums on the ‘Smalls Records’ label – The Painter in 2004, and a multimedia disc the following year titled Kinectic Hues.

He has been featured in the most prestigious jazz magazines in the USA, and taking advantage of all the attention, has gone on tour all over the world.

In 2006 Ari signed a new contract with the French label “Dreyfus Jazz”. The first disc released with them was Inversations, and the same year he went on tour visiting Spain, Italy & Finland, and also included a number of cities in the USA. The second album on this label was released in 2008 titled Punk Bop.  

Currently, Hoenig composes his own music and works with two bands – apart from the artist himself, they feature Will Vinson on sax,  Jonathan Kreisberg or Hekselman Gilad on guitar and Matt Penman or LeFleming Orlando on bass.

But Hoenig has always enjoyed playing in trios, and has an ongoing collaboration with friend and companion Jean Michel Pilc. In fact, in 2006, they constituted a project to merge their individual groups. Ari Hoenig uses the trios to experiment and express different rythms that he works with at each & every moment. He also uses these gigs as an opportunity to present other side projects and experiments he happens to be working on at the time.

An example as fruit of these experiments, which took place ten years ago, is his self-production Times Travels and two years later The Life of a Day.  Both document his explorative nature, and represent an ambitious tribute to the melodic possibilities of the drum set. In his performances there is always a place for this instrument to shine.