PRESS
"This dynamic and sparkling ensemble brings a fresh energy to the string quartet scene."
Tim Kliphuis
Award-winning jazz violinist
"Splunge is a bold, innovative album that redefines the boundaries of the string quartet while also keeping an eye on groove and swing. This is how contemporary music can and should sound, which fearlessly opens up to the range of contemporary musical reality without forgetting its own roots."
Stefan Pieper
Orchestergraben (DE)
"The North Sea String Quartet, whom I’ve just discovered, […] is a remarkable ensemble, stylistically indescribable as references to jazz, folk and contemporary music appear interwoven in an elaborate yet accessible writing style."
Christophe Charpenel
citizenjazz.com (FR)
"If you want to know what it would have sounded like if three legends had come together for a jam session – Miles Davis, Philip Glass and Beethoven – you shouldn’t miss “Splunge”, the new album by the North Sea String Quartet. Spiced up with a good portion of their own ideas, it is an experimental listening experience with an astonishment factor."
Jürgen Pathy
klassik-begeistert.de (DE)
"The NSSQ instrumentalists are refined, elegant, and their improvisations are consistently fascinating."
Simone Gramaglia
Violist of Quartetto Italiano (IT)
"A very tight string quartet, adventurous compositions played very well together. A worthy successor to Zapp4."
Vera Vingerhoeds
Independent jazz journalist
"[..Splunge..] is a stunning kaleidoscope of sounds and movements. Film scenes in sound."
Hans Quant
Luister Megazine
"The musicians switch smoothly between the different sound worlds. With its original approach, the Dutch ensemble proves that the time-honored string quartet can also serve as a vehicle for musical innovation in the 21st century."
Antje Roessler
klassik-heute.de (DE)
"This quartet performs its own music with playful virtuosity and profound and vicious improvisations. Their ability to create an uplifting inspirational dynamic within the group, balancing mutual respect with challenging teasers was made palpable in a very sincere way throughout the evening. […] They left me very fulfilled with everything this unmatched group had to offer."
David Faber
Cellist of Dudok Quartet
"With ‘Splunge,’ NSSQ makes a full-fledged album debut of their own, full of surprising compositions and remarkable improvisations. […] A true and unique discovery!"
Bernard Lefèvre
Jazzhalo (BE)
"An absolutely captivating sonic adventure that’s addictive. […] just music that strikes right to the heart. Anyone who embarks on this musical journey will not only discover an exciting new world of string quartets but also see how modern and boundless classical music can be today."
Barbara Hoppe
Feuilleton Scout (DE)
"Using their classical, world and folk influences and a lot of jazz, these improvising string players created one of the most exciting and celebrated concerts of this year’s InJazz."
Götz Bühler
Jazzed.com
"What makes the multifaceted Splunge unified are the improvisations that run as a thread through the album. These are virtuoso and demonstrate knowledge of a broad musical idiom: from modern jazz to Argentine tango. What the quartet especially excels at is its sense of rhythm and timing. In pieces like Roller and Mojito, the group grooves exceptionally well – no string quartet imitates them."
Dennis Weijers
De Volkskrant (NL)
"Needless to say, the North Sea String Quartet sounds incredibly cohesive, as if they were four extensions of a single body. Through intricately exciting compositions, the audience’s devotion is maintained, we are lured into a fascinating universe, to say the least."
