Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Klotski (Live) (2026)

Trost Records has released "Klotski" on vinyl, featuring a live quartet performance by Chinese multi-instrumentalist Lao Dan at Chicago's Elastic Arts in the spring of 2024. The ensemble includes prominent figures from the Chicago improvised music scene: Michael Zerang, Joshua Abrams, and Mabel Kwan. Known for blending traditional Chinese folklore with free jazz, Lao Dan showcases both his ferocious, expressive tenor saxophone playing and his virtuosic technique on the traditional dizi bamboo flute. The album shifts between avant-garde intensity and refined melodicism, highlighting the instant rapport and keen improvisational interplay among all four quartet members.

Tracklist:
1-1 Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Green Tongue (Live) [5:45]
1-2 Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Wandering Donkey (Live) [7:46]
1-3 Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Thunderball (Live) [9:28]
1-4 Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Plum Drink (Live) [8:12]
1-5 Lao Dan Chicago Quartet - Klotski (Live) [16:09]