Quetzal Tirado Unit - The Fat is Back (2025)

In a return to the Quetzal Tirado Unit moniker with a completely different lineup, Quetzal reunites with Leeds-based musicians Teruki Chan and Harvey Parkin-Christie from the Unit's previous release, Camaraderie, as well as Harry Souter, from their duo improvised concert documented on Men With Hair.
The quartet perform one of Tirado's compositions, a guided improvisation piece titled Jamais Vu, composed in a similar fashion to Anthony Braxton's language music concepts, and continue with several fully improvised pieces. The music shifts between the regular sound palette of harsh and abrasive European-style free jazz, abstract and unique timbral explorations of free improvisation and tight, forward-thinking interplay. When asked about their influences, the four members all stated wildly different groups that coalesced only in the fact that each and every musician they mentioned was an innovator and impossible to follow. So, rather than follow in the footsteps of their forebears, they sought simply to create experimental but enjoyable and followable music with occasional out-of-body and out-of-mind freakouts.
Improvisation does not often beget meaningful comparisons, but the influence of people like the late Peter Brötzmann, the visionary Anthony Braxton, the legendary Mats Gustafsson, the singular Jemeel Moondoc or even the prophetic Charles Gayle can be felt across the recordings. We sincerely hope you enjoy this spellbinding collaboration from young sonic adventurers, and look forward to sharing more of their works.

The sudden cut and change in sound on the first movement of Jamais Vu was a technical fault with the recording equipment on the venue's end. There is no other such interruption throughout the recordings.

The cover was painted once again by Marie McAuliffe (of Mesa and Hypomanic Daydream) after multiple previous collaborations on cover art for Quetzal's recordings.

"We'd talked about this visit to Hungary for many months beforehand and I was beyond excited, it was great to introduce the music we make to the Hungarian improvisers I know and the familiar audience live, since it's so unlike what people here make. If anything, this just makes me feel more at home, that there's space for what I make, with these people I love, here where I was born and raised. Looking forward to more, as always."
- Quetzal

The music was recorded live late into the night of November 22nd, 2024 at the Grand Café in Szeged, Hungary, and the photos, on which the cover painting was based, were shot at the concert by Szakács László. The drum kit was kindly lent to the band by Grand Café and the double bass by Csányi Zoltán, it is in this way we'd like to thank all their contributions.