Evan Parker / Steve Swell / Mark Tokar / Klaus Kugel

Excited to host a first-time quartet of Evan Parker (saxophone), Steve Swell (trombone), Mark Tokar (double bass) and Klaus Kugel (drums).

Evan Parker should, of course, need no introduction at this point, providing some of the most incredible performances (and releases) at OTO since our inception. For the uninitiated, Steve Swell is one of the most distinctive trombonists of his generation, treating the technical peculiarities of his instrument not as limitations but as invitations – howling glissandi, chattering chromaticism, and a playfulness that pushes his instrument to its limits and beyond.

The quartet's foundation is provided by Mark Tokar on double bass and Klaus Kugel on drums – two musicians who have understood each other intuitively for years. Tokar plays with a concentration and devotion that takes every moment of interplay seriously; his full, unmistakable tone forms the sonic backbone of the quartet. Kugel, in turn, ranks among the most defining drummers in contemporary European jazz: precise, alert, and always in dialogue with his fellow musicians, moving confidently between structural clarity and complete freedom.