the HiDef Qtet

HiDef launched in 2005.  We produced two CD’s and have enjoyed playing at some of Ann Arbor’s finest venues, including Top of the Park, Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the Firefly Club, Goodnight Gracie’s, Sonic Lunch, The Quarter Bistro, and the Michigan Theater.   We have some really cool fans.

What do the experts say?

Hal surrounds himself with excellent players, as all accomplished leaders do.”   Jim Fleming, Fleming Artists

Recorded in 2010 at Omnimedia Studios

Four on Six (Wes Montgomery)

Josie (Steely Dan)

Bungalow (Davis)

Front Porch (Davis)

Symphony #25 (Mozart)

Lucky Southern (Keith Jarrett)

…

Recorded in 2008 at Solid Sound Studios

Chitlins Con Carne (Kenny Burrell)

Doesn’t Really Matter (Janet Jackson)

One Note Samba (Antonio Jobim)

“Fine musicianship and great song selection. I am most impressed with the band’s versatility, shifting from Latin rhythms to hard-swinging post-bop to flat-out rocking 70’s era fusion. One thing you can count on: whatever they play, they turn it into party music.”  Lee Berry, General Manager, The Michigan Theater

Howard brings a calm strength to the band. He plays a fretless five-stringed bass,… which could be dangerous in anyone else’s hands. But he makes expert use of the instrument’s great range. With amazing breadth and versatility, Howard extends our music to new places.

George is the most fun and best-dressed member of the band. The band is at its best when George cranks up the energy and takes over. He has the extraordinary ability to bring a song alive with a very simple beat and only the bare minimum of strokes. But we also enjoy his solos, when he plays mountains of music that’s always full of surprises.

Hal has been arranging all of the songs for the HiDef repertoire since the band’s inception in 2005. Sometimes that doesn’t amount to much more than setting up the rhythm and organizing the song’s sections. But some arrangements are more complicated: like when pop hits or Mozart and Shostakovitch symphonic themes are transformed into improvisational jazz pieces.

Jim is classically trained and has mastered numerous instruments, but especially the grand piano, viola, and now a pipe organ. For our live performances, he’ll play an electric keyboard. But on our most recent recording, listen to the acoustic grand piano in Howard’s studio! Jim always turns in the band’s finest solos.