A structured jazz with open, exploratory improvisations featuring Drake, Rempis, Pabian and Phillips.

Quartet Next is a forward-thinking jazz ensemble featuring four highly respected voices in modern improvised music: guitarist Dan Phillips, saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Krzysztof Pabian, and drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake. Each musician brings a distinct creative identity to the group, shaped by decades of work across the worlds of experimental jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary composition.

What sets Quartet Next apart is its dynamic balance between form and freedom. The group’s repertoire is grounded in carefully crafted compositional frameworks—often penned by Phillips or developed collectively—which serve as launchpads for spontaneous exploration. These structures give the music both shape and tension, allowing the players to push against boundaries while maintaining a clear, shared musical language.

The chemistry between these four musicians is palpable. Pabian’s rich, resonant bass work acts as both anchor and instigator, grounding the music while opening pathways for collective dialogue. Rempis’s saxophone lines cut, surge, and soar with purpose and precision, while Drake’s deeply intuitive rhythmic approach brings spiritual gravity and global texture to every phrase. Phillips’s guitar work ties it all together—harmonically adventurous, texturally fluid, and melodically fearless.

At its core, Quartet Next is not just a band but a conversation—one that embraces risk, nuance, and deep listening. Their work speaks to the present moment in improvised music: rooted in tradition, unafraid of complexity, and always open to what’s next.