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Dylan Jack is...

... a percussionist, improviser, composer, educator and organizer participating in

multiple genres within the New England music scene. As a performer, Jack divides his attention

between playing as a sideman with some of the region's top improvisers and leading his main

creative outlet, the Dylan Jack Quartet. Jack has released six recordings as a band leader or co-

leader and one film score (an original version of the 1922 film Nosferatu). Jack is also the director

and curator for the Not So Silent Film series in Providence, RI which focuses on improvising

along with public domain silent films.

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As the founder of the Dylan Jack Quartet, an ensemble focusing on his own original concepts

and compositions. Combining intricately composed segments that utilize odd meters and

phrasing with free improvisations, the music is described as “… bristling with rhythmic

intelligence and rich in dynamic contrast and ebb and flow. - (David Adler)” In September of

2017, they released their first album, Diagrams, which received favorable reviews from the jazz

press. In June 2020, they followed up with the album The Tale of the Twelve-Foot Man. Both are

on the Creative Nation Music label. Jack also co-leads the duo Hofbauer-Jack with premier

Boston guitarist, Eric Hofbauer who released the album Remains of Echoes in 2019 where his

innovative playing is said to “… coax the broadest range of sounds and timbres he can from his

kit. Careful tunings of his toms and the use of a second bass drum allow for a highly nuanced

and melodic rhythmic foundation for the album…” - (All About Jazz) He is one-quarter of the

DJQ off-shoot collective Hofbauer, Jack, Leva, Sabatini, who in 2021, saw the release of Period

Pieces where Jack’s playing is described as “a masterclass in minimalist groovemanship…” -

(JAZZIZ). JAZZIZ also chose Period Pieces as a Critic’s Pick for 2021. In 2022, Jack organized,

composed music for, and produced multiple performances for his quartet where they performed a

live improvised score to the silent film, Nosferatu, to capacity crowds. Their version of the film

and an album of music inspired by the characters entitled “Eine Quartette des Grauens” was

released in October of 2023 where “Jack’s quartet captures the dark menace and lost innocence

of it all, with subtle harmonic implications, stark instrumental timbres, extended techniques and

modest use of effects.” - (David Adler). In 2024, the quartet released their newest effort, "Winter Panes," which focused on holiday and winter themed compositions by composers. The record received much praise and was featured in Downbeat Magazine's December 2024 issue. Aside from jazz and improvisation, Jack is the drummer for classic Massachusetts death metal pioneers, Scattered Remnants.

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As an educator, Jack is part of the percussion and jazz and contemporary music departments at

the Groton Hill Music Center in Groton, MA where he teaches private lessons, group classes,

and creative ensembles. He is also part of the affiliated faculty at Emerson College in Boston,

MA where he teaches multiple sections of The History of Jazz. Jack received an associate's

degree from Middlesex Community College, a bachelor's degree in Percussion Performance from

the McNally Smith College of Music in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and a Master of Music in

Modern American Music from the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

DJQ 2024 Nos.jpeg

The Dylan Jack Quartet is...

Featuring:

Jerry Sabatini - Brass and Percussion

Eric Hofbauer - Guitar and Electronics

Tony Leva - Bass

Dylan Jack - Drum Set and Percussion

© 2025 by Dylan Jack     Photographs by Adam Signore © 2024

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