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Charlie Kohlhase
Alto, tenor and baritone saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase has been a mainstay of Boston’s jazz scene for over twenty years. Whether leading his two newest bands, performing in a dozen others or writing over 50 compositions, his music spans a broad range of styles with an emphasis on the contemporary and the improvised.
Born and raised in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (11/28/56), Charlie began playing saxophones at 18. After private studies with 
Stan Strickland
woodwinds
Roswell Rudd
trombone1935 - 2017
In 1989, he formed the Charlie Kohlhase Quintet , an ongoing project that has performed locally and nationally for a decade and half. Their long-awaited live 2-CD set, “Play Free Or Die,” has been released on the Boxholder label to critical acclaim. Kohlhase also leads the CK5, a second quintet that recently released its live debut, “CK5 Live!” Charlie's two newest bands, Explorer's Club and Saxophone Support Group , are charting new territory. Explorer's Club , another quintet for Kohlhase, builds upon his long relationship with New England saxophonist 
Matt Langley
saxophoneOther recent activities include work with the 
Nate McBride
bassIn addition, he co-led groups with the great Danish/Congolese saxophonist 
John Tchicai
saxophone
1936 - 2012
Anthony Braxton
woodwindsb.1945
Leroy Jenkins
bass, electric1932 - 2007
Garrison Fewell
guitar1953 - 2015
Charlie also teaches at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts and offers private lessons.
He has also been active in jazz radio for many years and currently hosts “Research and Development," a program devoted to modern jazz heard on WMBR, 88.1FM in Cambridge, Massachusetts and on the web.
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Charlie Kohlhase's Explorer's Club: Adventures
by Virginia A. Schaefer
Adventures is the high-energy first release of Explorer's Club, led by accomplished saxophonist and composer Charlie Kohlhase. The septet includes a guitarist, bassist, two drummers, two saxophonists, and trombonist. Kohlhase puts together their expertise to produce an impressive range of instrumental combinations, timbres, and textures in the outside-but-accessible style for which he's known.
Kohlhase's compositions (all but three tracks) describe the escapades of alternative superheroes and other unique characters. While Kohlhase's liner notes evoke comic-strip character Caspar Milquetoast, the main ... Continue ReadingCharlie Kohlhase's Explorer's Club: Adventures
by Jerry D'Souza
Charlie Kohlhase is an entertaining adventurer. In his role as a composer, he draws on several influences. His eye is on the final dimension and in pursuing that, he uses a wide range of styles. Taken individually the styles seem to be odd bedfellows, but when the course of their journey has been charted, they have comingled seamlessly. His sense of humor gives room to his comic book heroes who find root in his compositions and rise with a devilish ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Kohlhase's Explorer's Club: Adventures
by Troy Collins
A longstanding veteran of the Boston jazz scene, multi-instrumentalist Charlie Kohlhase's skills as a bandleader were honed as a member of the esteemed Either/Orchestra and through collaborations with legendary saxophonist John Tchicai. The Explorer's Club is his newest venture, a powerhouse line-up featuring two drummers. Encompassing a range of dynamics, from AACM styled impressionism and Mingus-inspired collective interplay to riotous New Thing-era free expression, the septet exudes a mercurial sensibility redolent of Kohlhase's former teacher, trombonist Roswell Rudd. ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Kohlhase: The Cranky Yankee
by Celeste Sunderland
State, New Hampshire. Party affiliation, communist. Obsession, Woody Herman's 1963 Herd. No, it's not Boston-based saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase. It's the Cranky Yankee, a character he's been known to slip into while on the road. “He would go on and on about this 1963 Herd and the brilliance of Jake Hanna at the drums, said Either/Orchestra founder Russ Gershon who Kohlhase played with for 14 years. “He's an absolutely hilarious guy. A knowledge of jazz inspires these road ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Kohlhase Quintet: Play Free Or Die
by AAJ Staff
Boston's improv scene is fueled by an underground network of musicians (hooked up to an internet mailing list), major academic centers ( Berklee and the New England Conservatory), indie record outlets (including the literally subterranean Twisted Village), and an army of open-minded listeners. If you only went to the two big jazz clubs--Scullers and the Regattabar--you'd might find yourself lulled to sleep by mainstream acts. But have no fear, there are plenty of alternatives.
Saxophonist Charlie Kohlhase eagerly ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Kohlhase Launches an Outpost 186 Exploration for February
Source:
Chris Rich
After a dismal 2011, in which the Explorers Club only performed once, Boston's beloved cranky yankee polishes his battery of saxophones and follows the groundhog out of midwinter torpor. Over the course of the unrolling spring, saxophonist/composer Charlie Kohlhase will oversee mid month explorations in Inman Squares favorite back yard gallery, Outpost 186. Starting on Thursday, February 16th, a new line up will grace the bay windows of the aulde dump. Original stalwarts, saxophonist Matt Langley, trombonist Jeff Galindo, guitarist ...
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Charlie Kohlhase
Instrument: Saxophone, baritone
Born: November 28, 1956
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