Quartet Offensive is an ensemble of Baltimore musicians devoted to composing and performing new music. The group blurs the lines between jazz, rock, metal, and experimental music with a constant focus on improvisation. Quartet Offensive consists of John Dierker-reeds, Eric Trudel-sax, Matt Frazao-guitar, Adam Hopkins-bass, and Nathan Ellman-Bell-drums.

All members contribute compositions, but the pieces included were written by bassist Adam Hopkins. The goal of these pieces is to use written material as a catalyst for open improvisation. The improvising in all of these pieces is free of chord structure (with the exception of Goodbye, Cavendish) and a pre-conceived form, but the group is encouraged to expand on the previously played written material within the improvised context. All of these pieces are written without a specific genre in mind or intended, and Hopkins draws from a wide range of music styles for his influence.

Tracks included are taken from Quartet Offensive's debut album "Carnivore," which was released to international acclaim in July 2009. It was included in "Best of 2009" music lists from Perfect Sounds, Avant Music News, Something Else Reviews, and Free Jazz.

http://www.myspace.com/quartetoffensivebaltimore
  • Quartet Offensive Carnivore
    Quartet Offensive "Carnivore"
    Quartet Offensive's debut album "Carnivore," released in July 2009. Soon after being released "Carnivore" received a number of favorable reviews both locally and internationally. It was chosen as one of the Best Albums of 2009 by Perfect Sounds, Avant Music News, Something Else Reviews, and Free Jazz, and was featured in the Village Voice's Jazz Consumer Guide. Hopkins performs on the album as the bassist, and he contributed four of the eight compositions. Album art by Nick Prevas.
  • O.D.
    Composed by Adam Hopkins, O.D. is a track from the 2009 Quartet Offensive album "Carnivore." It is written in two distinct sections. The piece loosely uses the 12-tone system of composition, but split between the guitar and the bass clarinet/bass line. My goal was to use this somewhat limiting compositional system as a starting point, but attempt to write parts that had a sense of a tonal center. The three soloists, John Dierker-bass clarinet, Matt Frazao-guitar, and Eric Trudel-sax, solo openly over the A section material and cue the B section backgrounds when they are ready to go on. All of the solos are broken down into trios with a different instrument playing the accompaniment role each time.
  • The Dirty Dollar
    Composed by Adam Hopkins from the 2009 Quartet Offensive album "Carnivore," this is another piece with heavy roots in the rock genre, but as the piece develops it breaks down into a number of freely improvised sections. The horn melody is played twice, the second time with an open guitar solo played over the written material. The improvised section is written as a bridge between the two composed sections. You can hear the new bassline introduced in fragments between the small improvised sections, and eventually it is played in it's entirety at the conclusion of the piece.
  • Goodbye, Cavendish
    Composed by Adam Hopkins, and also from the 2009 debut release "Carnivore" by Quartet Offensive, "Goodbye, Cavendish" is an uncharacteristic ballad written by Hopkins. The piece is broken down into three 10-bar phrases, each instrument entering at the top of the form in three successive choruses. Inspired by Charles Mingus' "Self Portrait in Three Colors" this composition is made up of three independent melodies, which are only heard together the third time through the form. The first melody is played by bass clarinet, the second by double bass, and the third by tenor sax and guitar. After all three melodies sound together the guitar takes over with a chord progression that serves as the basis for collective instrumental improvisation. The final melodic statement is of all instruments playing their independent lines simultaneously.
  • The M.B.S.
    Composed by Adam Hopkins. This video of The M.B.S. was featured in The Baker Artist Awards Special Exhibit at The Baltimore Museum of Art, April 29 - June 28, 2009, when Hopkins was chosen as a People's Choice winner. The original recording was included on Q.O.'s debut album "Carnivore." Video by Nick Prevas and Mike Walls, shot at The Windup Space.
  • Quartet Offensive @ Artscape
    Quartet Offensive @ Artscape
    Group photo splice from Artscape 2008.
  • Adam Hopkins (with Quartet Offensive)
    Adam Hopkins (with Quartet Offensive)
    Adam Hopkins-bass with Quartet Offensive live at The Talking Head Club, Baltimore.
  • Quartet Offensive Press
    Quartet Offensive Press
    Quartet Offensive photo taken for a City Paper article in 2008. The City Paper profile of the band in its early stages is available at http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=13017
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