Little Whore Records

The Quiet Quintin Quartet arrive with a striking new release that refuses to sit still, blending avant-garde experimentation, free jazz, improvisation, and raw skronk into ten restless, unpredictable tracks. This Edmonton-based four-piece sizzle with energy, moving seamlessly between chaos and control. At the heart of it all is Quintin Reed, whose saxophone work is nothing short of unworldly, shifting from piercing, minimalist screeches to torrents of sound that seem to pour out of nowhere. He’s joined by a powerhouse ensemble: Gunnar Hedman on drums and percussion, Henry Caz on guitar, and Tomas Gierski on bass. Together they move with the force of a single, massive organism, each phrase and eruption locking into place with startling precision.

Produced by the ever-prolific Madame Wang and recorded at Dra-Shig Studios in Edmonton, the album captures both the raw immediacy of live performance and the intricate detail of masterful studio work.

Listeners familiar with John Zorn’s work, particularly his Masada project, will recognize a similar spirit of fearless invention. Like Zorn, Reed thrives on tension, juxtaposition, and sudden shifts that break apart expectations. Zorn’s Masada drew from traditions and radical improvisation, often shifting from whisper-quiet lyricism to feral bursts of noise in a single phrase. Reed channels that same volatility, but pushes it through his own lens, bringing a sharper edge of skronk and an almost sculptural approach to sound. Where Zorn’s Masada often felt like a ritual, Reed’s quartet feels like a demolition crew dismantling the walls of genre itself. Both artists share a refusal to let music remain comfortable or predictable, instead demanding the listener’s full attention and engagement.

The Quiet Quintin Quartet’s debut doesn’t merely nod to Zorn, it stands firmly in conversation with him, extending the tradition of boundary-pushing jazz into new, volatile territory. For listeners who crave the thrill of risk, invention, and music that refuses to behave, this record announces the arrival of a band with both the vision and the ferocity to carry the avant-garde torch into the present moment.

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