{"id":8121,"date":"2024-03-18T22:09:39","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T03:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=8121"},"modified":"2024-03-19T06:10:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T11:10:36","slug":"pushing-off-christopher-hoffman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/pushing-off-christopher-hoffman\/","title":{"rendered":"Pushing Off: A Conversation with Christopher Hoffman on ‘Vision is the Identity’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Henry David Thoreau once noted, “The perception of beauty is a moral test.” Regardless of whether we wish to acknowledge it, one cannot deny that their biases and history shape how they experience everything around them, including art. Interestingly, this artistic predisposition extends to ideas of how a particular instrument “should sound.” In the case of the cello, one often expects polite elegance. But the instrument, in the right hands, is capable of much more. On the ironically titled Vision is the Identity <\/em>(Out of Your Head, 2024), Christopher Hoffman attempts to obliterate misconceptions about the capacity of the violoncello. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoffman comes from a generation of cellists who fully appreciate their instrument’s Western classical tradition yet refuse to be confined to chamber or orchestral settings. In Hoffman’s case, he often uses effects that make his strings sound more like a guitar or bass. Actually, between the edgy individualism apparent in each track and the grim reaper imagery on its cover, a casual listener may think they found a new punk rock album. But this perspective is also inadequate. With “What Comes”, Hoffman mimics the sinuous cry of a steel guitar, thereby placing the legendary Henry Threadgill in an unexpected meeting of Americana and sampled beats. “Better & Better” with Anna Webber on flute burns at a dizzyingly high speed, while “Think From”‘s use of eerie-sounding keys evokes a haunting chorus. Ultimately, what makes Vision is the Identity<\/em> such a compelling listen is that it is never predictable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After experiencing Vision is the Identity, <\/em>one can see why Hoffman has been called upon by some of the most important artists in creative music. Threadgill, Butch Morris, Marc Ribot, James Brandon Lewis, and Yoko Ono have all relied upon Hoffman’s cello to make their artistic dreams a reality. Vision is the Identity<\/em> is a masterful reminder that you cannot rely solely on what you see. Sometimes, your ears can tell you much more than your eyes ever could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PostGenre: Going back to the beginning, when did you start playing cello?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Christopher Hoffman: I started playing cello when I was five. My parents put me in a Suzuki program. My dad was a jazz drummer. As was my older brother Bill. So, I got obsessed with playing drums in middle school. Playing drums helped with my cello playing. But I got back into wanting to focus on the cello instead of drums because I realized I was better at the cello.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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PG: At what point did you decide that you did not want to play solely stereotypical Western classical music, the music most people identify with the cello?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CH: Somewhere in high school, I discovered Oscar Pettiford. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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