Atlantis Quartet Captures a Bold New Sound on Live at Berlin
New live album from the acclaimed Twin Cities ensemble features five new compositions
available on LP, CD, and digital formats
Minneapolis, MN — Longtime pillars of the Twin Cities jazz scene, Atlantis Quartet returns with Live at Berlin, a bold and exploratory new release on Shifting Paradigm Records. Captured during the opening week of Minneapolis’s newest jazz venue, Berlin, the album presents a freewheeling set of five previously unrecorded compositions that reflect a reinvigorated band pushing into open-ended, improvisational territory.
Formed in 2006, Atlantis Quartet has become one of the more celebrated modern jazz groups in the Upper Midwest, known for blending intricate composition with free improvisation, and fusing jazz with elements of rock, funk, and post-bop. Featuring saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Pete Hennig, the group has released five albums, performed at major festivals, and earned critical acclaim for their adventurous spirit and deep group chemistry, with Bill Milkowski calling the band “startlingly original.”
After a period of reduced activity during and following the pandemic, the group reconvened in early 2024 with a renewed sense of purpose and a desire to evolve their sound. “After so many years of playing the music off of our records, we had grown somewhat restless with it,” says Harris. “We had deeply explored a certain sound that we’d developed as a group and were ready for a fresh challenge. We wanted to try to move toward a more open sound with greater freedom for interaction and taking chances. These five tunes exemplify that direction.”
The result is Live at Berlin, a freewheeling, high-energy performance that showcases the group’s remarkable musical telepathy while embracing a looser, more exploratory approach. The album opens with “Evasive Maneuvers,” a rhythmically shifting groove-based piece that combines rock energy with melodic focus, setting the tone for the rest of the set. “You Are Here” follows with an Ornette Coleman-inspired sense of freedom and momentum, nodding to the spirit of Coleman’s “Ramblin’” while carving out its own playful, free-swinging path.
The third track, “Bucket List,” is a propulsive, odd-meter romp in 11/8 that highlights the quartet’s cohesion and comfort with rhythmic complexity. The mood shifts on “Vantage Point,” a spacious ballad that allows the band to stretch out with sensitivity and nuance, revealing their depth as improvisers and listeners. The album closes with “Rush Hour,” a tension-filled and frenzied finale that captures the visceral energy of a band not only reconnecting—but reinventing.
While all five compositions were written by Harris, the album reflects the collaborative ethos that has defined Atlantis Quartet from the beginning. Wozniak’s commanding yet lyrical saxophone work, Harris’s melodic but sometimes madcap guitar, Bates’s inventive and grounded bass playing, and Hennig’s responsive, energetic drumming all serve to elevate the music beyond the page. All four musicians listen deeply, react boldly, and push each other in unexpected directions. Live at Berlin isn’t just a documentation of a night at a new venue—it’s the sound of a band stepping into the next phase of its evolution after nearly two decades together. It captures Atlantis Quartet in transition: freer, bolder, and as connected as ever.
Live at Berlin is available now on vinyl LP, CD, and all digital platforms.
Track Listing
- Evasive Maneuvers (8:27)
- You Are Here (11:09)
- Bucket List (8:30)
- Vantage Point (12:16)
- Rush Hour (10:50)