Emile Parisien Quartet

"When accidents happen, they usually happen in seconds, sometimes in minutes. But this one has been going on for 20 years. That's how long it's been since the members of the Emile Parisien Quartet first played together in a jam session. At the end, they looked at each other in disbelief. Not only had they been struck by a collective musical lightning bolt, but they also knew that they had just...well...created...something.

The common breeding ground was jazz, but everyone had all sorts of seeds to sow in it, from classical music and contemporary sounds to rock, electronica and chanson. Their new album "Let Them Cook" is like a breath of fresh air, and the band's music audibly breathes the spirit of 2024 rather than 2004, moving from a purely acoustic sound to a blend of acoustic and electronic elements. It is an answer to the omnipresent question: How do you go from a classic jazz quartet of saxophone, piano, bass and drums to a new, unique sound?

Wayne Shorter, one of the band's most important influences, once said: "There's a certain way that most people go because it's familiar to them. because it's familiar. I prefer to take a different fork in the road that gives you a different view. I call it the road less travelled". For 20 years, the Emile Parisien Quartet has been taking us along this road full of adventure and unexpected turns.