Press Quotes

"Every JACK concert transcends a run-of-the-mill performance and becomes a true event." (read full article)

- Time Out New York

"The JACK Quartet, in terrific performances, proved that the quaint old string quartet, stretched to its limits, remains vital and entertaining." (read full article)

- Tom Huizenga, Washington Post

"Mind-blowingly good...it was impossible to anticipate the primal emotions that the JACK...could create..." (read full article)

- Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times

"...a highlight of last year's CD releases." (read full article)

- David Weininger, Boston Globe

"The JACK Quartet is an up-and-coming group on the new-music scene; its recent Mode recording of the complete Iannis Xenakis quartets is revelatory. And while it was called upon to produce many of the effects in "Pression," its rendering of Lachenmann's Second String Quartet (1989) never sounded merely like the cello piece times four. Instead, a beguiling counterpoint of haunting sounds first draws listeners to the precipice of inaudibility, then steers them back toward conventional music with a single tone or chord, only to send them off again on the wings of scurrying, whispering passages. A lesser quartet might have used amplification, but the JACK's pure acoustic sound enabled a listener to savor each tiny subtle gradation."

- Christian Carey, Musical America

"...played with delicacy and poise..." (read full article)

- Joseph Dalton, Albany Times Union

"...brilliant...gave viscerally exciting performances...a tour de force of intensity and color." (read full article)

- Anthony Tommasini, New York Times

"...howlingly beautiful...Tetras seemed a riotous celebration of sound...these young players render abstruse ideas as organic gestures."

- Alex Ross, New Yorker

"...perhaps the single most intrepidly experimental quartet on the horizon...resourcefully sought the sense behind what might normally seem like noise...The JACK Quartet will simply have to be stalked." (read full article)

- Philadelphia Inquirer

"...as emphatic and fearless in its music-making as it is in its majusculed name." (read full article)

- WQXR

Best of 2009: "...one of 2009's most impressive recordings...The DVD, with its great surround sound, is the way to go, especially since you can see the black T-shirted guys in startling action..." (read full article)

- Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times

Best of 2009: "...brings out the exhilarating, visceral edge of this brainy and astringent music. For the most fearless new-music lover on your list." (read full article)

- Jeremy Eichler, Boston Globe

Best of 2009: "A mix of audacity and assurance turned this confident young ensemble's survey of thorny Xenakis compositions into a genuine event." (read full article)

- Steve Smith, Time Out New York

Best of 2009: "...exceptional...beautifully harsh Xenakis roared from my rented-car stereo during a drive into Death Valley." (read full article)

- Alex Ross, New Yorker

#1, Best of 2009: "...provides the first complete compilation of these stochastically composed works. They're witty, eccentric, challenging and worth it." (read full article)

- Nadia Sirota, NPR

"...performed everything with mastery and confidence...a formidable force for new music, raising our awareness of the cutting edge in music, while raising the bar for other ensembles out there." (read full article)

- Classical Voice of New England

"...nothing quite prepared you for the explosive virtuosity in the group's closing traversal of Xenakis' Tetras...superb ensemble work from a quartet with a bright future." (read full article)

- Boston Globe

"Dominating the contemporary world of music, the JACK Quartet is a four-man super squad armed with bows and strings." (read full article)

- Daily Iowan

"...I can only shake my head in awe at their talent for tackling works that might easily cause tremors in those confronted with the challenges of realizing the fauna in this composer's delicate garden." (read full article)

- MusicWeb International

"...such energy and panache that the performance becomes a wholly new, involving experience." (read full article)

- Guardian

"...a bandlike mentality and a funky, contemporary vibe."

- Washington Post

"...intrepid..."

- New Yorker