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Boston guitarist Eric Hofbauer considers the three solo albums he made between 2004 and 2012 a trilogy “about process, coming of age, or coming to terms with the internal and external world.” That’s quite a statement for three records of instrumental music, and without his voluminous, erudite liner notes it would be pretty hard to glean any sort of greater meaning from the performances. In fact, I’m not particularly interested in that greater meaning, but the music offers all I could expect or want. Hofbauer is a terrific player, treating original tunes, jazz standards, modern pop-rock songs, and blues with a distinctive touch; gnarled, melodic, spikey, and dense. There’s a deep affection for the material inherent in his interpretations, and that familiarity and ease allows him to take some of the tunes to surprising places.
On Thursday Hofbauer will play a solo set at Elastic, followed by a set of improvisations with saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Tim Daisy.
