Catalan Jazz On Tour | Blood Quartet (US/CAT)

The Blood Quartet was formed in 2015 by Mark Cunningham from New York and three Catalan musicians: Lluís Rueda, Kike Bela and Carles Esteban. Their soundscape, steeped in improvisation, blends unsettling atmospheres with free-form musical structures, drawing inspiration primarily from no wave, jazz noir, free jazz and industrial rock, whilst also maintaining strong affinities with underground and experimental genres. Their eerie compositions, which could easily serve as the soundtrack to a film noir or an abstract thriller, are largely defined by the use of effect-laden trumpet, distorted guitar, heavy bass and broken rhythms. The band, which has been together for over ten years, also takes a keen interest in the related arts, and has collaborated on film, poetry, dance and performance projects. To date, they have released five albums: *Dark Energy* (2015), *Deep Red* (2016), *Until My Darkness Goes* (2018), *Root 7* (2022), and most recently *Terra Ignota* (2025), produced in collaboration with the Dongyang Gozupa collective.