The Quartet are a Canterbury based collective, led by former Wang Chung front man Jack Hues, (fans of Emile Zola will be tittering right now) together with other local musicians.
I first became aware of them when seeing Hues at the Lighthouse in Deal. I hadn’t gone to see him, I’d gone to see the support, a band called Boot Lagoon, that I’d seen a couple of times at Lounge On The Farm, a festival near Canterbury, but really enjoyed his set, although I’m not sure how that led me to put this CD on my Christmas list.
It’s lively, proggy instrumental rock, the first track being a six-part piece called Canterbury Tales (updated to include the chav, the check-out girl, the deacon and the wife of the councillor and their tales.). A lovely listen, but I’m puzzled how it relates to the characters.
Subsequent tracks continue very much in the Canterbury jazz rock tradition, inviting comparisons to post-Wyatt Soft Machine, with some lovely saxophone work by Paul Booth on Plains Rising. The album continues with the two-parter Dark Moon, notable for Duncan MacKay’s trumpet playing, before coming to a restful conclusion with the longer piece, Lights Out. As a piece of modern British jazz, this stands up well. It’s an enjoyable set of pieces, and with each listen revealing a little more, one I’ll return to.
4* - a really strong local contemporary slice of jazz
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