GAUME JAZZ FESTIVAL : OZAÍN Quintet

[SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2026]

Jazz as energetic as it is inventive

Gaëtan Casteels, double bass / Bruno Grollet, saxophone / Laurent Blondiau, trumpet / Nathan Surquin, trombone / Pierre Hurty, drums

With its atypical instrumentation, faithful to the concept of the absence of harmonic instruments, Ozaín Quintet has not chosen the easiest path. However, the arrangements allow the harmony of the pieces to be understood, sometimes through counterpoint, sometimes through powerful unisons. The album contains eight tracks with diverse influences such as Dave Holland, Charles Mingus, Dave Douglas, and Linda May Oh. The compositions on this second album explore the different possible forms of this ensemble, sometimes appearing as a trio: soloist and rhythm section, sometimes as a quartet and quintet when two horn players accompany the soloist, and sometimes in collective improvisation: three soloists and two accompanists. The quintet breaks with the usual theme-improvisation-theme jazz formula by offering diverse forms and structures for very different improvisations on the same piece. And it's paying off: the group has been selected for the Lundis d’Hortense jazz tour in February/March 2025.

This new repertoire is also a return to their roots, more swing-oriented than their previous work, though with a contemporary swing feel, punctuated by a few pop or funk-influenced tracks that give the musicians plenty of room to breathe.