For more than a decade, Eric Hofbauer has been an integral member of Boston’s jazz scene as a musician, bandleader, organizer and educator.

Critics have called him "a brilliant player" (Ron Wynn, Nashville City Paper) who creates "intriguingly original music" (Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes) that features "a good sense of humor as well as great musical intelligence" (Richard Kamins, Middletown Eye).

AllAboutJazz.com's Troy Collins adds, "Hofbauer brings a wealth of historical antecedents to his playfully inventive compositions. A refreshingly original voice, [he] reveals an affable yet mischievous sensibility in his writing and improvising."

He has earned critical acclaim for his work in a variety of musical projects, including recent recordings with the Garrison Fewell/Eric Hofbauer Duo, Garrison Fewell’s Variable Density Sound Orchestra and The Blueprint Project with special guest Han Bennink.

In 2007, after years of solo performances and co-leading ensembles, he founded his own group, Eric Hofbauer & The Infrared Band, which released its debut, Myth Understanding (Creative Nation Music) in June 2008.

When not leading The Infrared Band, collaborating with local luminaries such as Fewell and Charlie Kohlhase, or supervising Creative Nation Music, he teaches jazz guitar and jazz history at Emerson College and The University of Rhode Island.

In 2009, Hofbauer was honored with the prestigious Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Fellowship in Music Composition, which included a large grant he used to complete a new book on modern improvisation methods, mix and master his 2010 solo recording, American Fear (Creative Nation Music), and compose new music for the Infrared Band's next recording.