reviews
'Timeline Concert' honors Stanley Turrentine
Baltimore Afro-American
4/2/2004
Culbertson, D.C.
There probably couldn't be a better musician than Ron Holloway to put together a Turrentine tribute because Holloway, who started playing the saxophone in junior high school, considers him a major influence on his own playing and his sound has often been compared to Turrentine's.
RON HOLLOWAY & FRIENDS "Live ..
The Washington Post
4/11/2003
Saxophonist Ron Holloway doesn't merely get by with a lot of help from his friends on "Live at Montpelier." He gets soulful, melodic and funky, inspired by the good company onstage and a collection of familiar tunes that allow plenty of room for improvisation.
Sax Party; At Blues Alley,
Ron Holloway Holds a Birthday Blowout
The Washington Post
8/27/2001
"Ron Holloway's Birthday Party" at Blues Alley Friday night evolved into a tribute to three of the Washington-based saxophonist's influences -- tenor men Joe Henderson, Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Rollins. The harmonic innovations of alto titan Charlie Parker were also evoked during an alternately spirited and soulful sax retrospective.
Jazzman Plays it ”Cool” Like Dizzy
The Washington Times
3/1/2000
Butters, Patrick
Ron Holloway, a Glen Burnie, Md., resident and District native, is more than just a jazz saxophonist... In the summer of 1989, [Dizzy] Gillespie asked Holloway to join his group.
Holloway's Homework: Reed History
The Washington Post
5/3/1998
Mike Joyce
"Groove Update" (Milestone), the new release by tenor saxophonist and multiple Wammie winner Ron Holloway, is a celebration of the jazz, funk and soul sounds that have shaped his musical vision and vocabulary. Unabashedly eclectic and often exuberant, the album is clearly the work of someone who grew up in the '60s and '70s with his ears wide open, willing to listen to whatever the radio had to offer.
Ron Holloway: Sax to the Max
The Washington Post
5/1/1998
Eric Brace
I REMEMBER seeing saxophonist Ron Holloway sitting in with the Skip Castro Band at the old Columbia Station in Adams-Morgan 20 years ago. And I remember Holloway playing in the late crazyman Root Boy Slim's band 15 years ago at Desperados in Georgetown. And I remember catching Holloway a few years ago at Blues Alley as part of Dizzy Gillespie's band.
Reedmen Who Blow Hot and Hotter;
The Latest From Holloway, Garrett & Stewart;
Big Leaps Forward in the Sax Race
The Washington Post
7/21/1996
Mike Joyce
Reedmen Ron Holloway, Kenny Garrett and Robert Stewart all extend the jazz saxophone tradition in their new albums, but each does it in his own way... Holloway's aptly titled "Scorcher" (Milestone) is the most eclectic, a free-spirited session of bop, ballads, calypso, funk and rap.
Gil Scott-Heron's House Party
at the Schomburg
New York Amsterdam News
10/14/1995
George Edward Tait
A gregarious gathering packed the house to hear grassroots griot Gil Scott-Heron officially open the 70th anniversary season of performances at the Schomburg Center.
Cool Sounds From D.C.'s Sax Symbols
The Washington Post
7/19/1995
Mike Joyce
On Holloway's major-label debut, last year's "Slanted," he collaborated with a stellar cast of Washington-based musicians. His new album, "Struttin' " (also released by Milestone/Fantasy), marks a change of venue and tone.
Blowing Away The Blahs
The Washington Post
7/13/1994
Courtland Milloy
Then came the moment the audience had been waiting for. Holloway put his gleaming, charcoal black and gold tenor sax to his lips and simply blew the house down.
Jazz's Next Sax Symbol?
H is Dad Bought the Music.
Now Ron Holloway Plays the Tunes.
The Washington Post
6/19/1994
Mike Joyce
Winston Holloway has been collecting jazz recordings for more than 40 years. Ron Holloway has been dissecting them for nearly as long. While the father listened, the son learned, picking apart themes and solos by ear, fascinated by the music he found in the family archives.
One More Encore for Gillespie
The Washington Post
12/14/1989
Mike Joyce
Before completing one of the busiest years of his legendary career, 72-year-old trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is taking up residence at Blues Alley through Sunday, where he's leading a vibrant quintet that features Washington-based tenor saxophonist Ron Holloway.
Gillespie Stays Dizzy at Showcase
Chicago Sun-Times
9/28/1989
Lloyd Sachs
No quintet can easily recover from the loss of a veteran talent like Sam Rivers, who has returned to pursuing his own projects. Holloway, who hails from Washington, D.C., Gillespie has found a fluent, strong-minded replacement.
Dizzy Gillespie's Diverse Moods
The Washington Post
6/23/1989
Mike Joyce
Bands that appeal to both straight-ahead and fusion jazz audiences are all too rare these days, but the quintet Dizzy Gillespie is leading at Blues Alley this week fills the bill nicely... exuberance prevailed at various points during the show, especially when Gillespie sang (and chanted) and expanded an uninhibited version of "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac," complete with fireworks from both Holloway and Berroa.