Five Way Split - Modus Operandi

Five-Way Split

Line-Up:

Quentin Collins - trumpet

Vasilis Xenopoulos - saxophone

Rob Barron - Piano

Matyas Hofecker – Bass

Matt Home - Drums

Modus Operandi is the incendiary new album from London based five-piece instrumental jazz band Five-Way Split. This sensational ensemble’s vision is to carry the torch for classic hardbop groups of the 1950’s and 60’s like Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and also the US contemporary-bop scene, through their vibrant original compositions and distinctive interpretations of hip / swinging material.

Five-Way Split are a renowned collective of very established players and Ronnie Scott’s regulars, consisting of trumpeter Quentin Collins, saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos, pianist Rob Barron, bass player Matyas Hofecker and drummer Matt Home. All very established players in their own right who have lent their skills to a plethora of successful projects across the international jazz scene.

While the snappy, melodic and harmonically nuanced themes from the pen of Barron, Collins and Xenopoulos undoubtedly achieve their goal of paying tribute to the hard-bop greats at the highest standard, the band also provide their own unique perspective to proceedings, emerging from years of experience having collectively worked with luminaries as diverse as Al Jarreau, Kyle Eastwood, Stacy Kent, Harold Mabern, Barry Harris and many more. As a
result, Five-Way Split are able to project a classic sound that is uniquely modernised.

Founded during the lockdown period of 2020, the band rehearsed relentlessly, eventually reaching a rare and powerful stage where they seamlessly gelled as a unit, while allowing each player’s individual creativity to thrive. As Collins explains: “Five-Way Split is a band born in 2020 at a time when performance opportunities were scarce, but creative energy was strong, by musicians with a shared passion for continuing the lineage of Contemporary Bop Music.”
Their standout 2023 debut ‘All The Way’ was shortlisted on several end of year ‘best of’ album lists, and was also nominated in the ‘Best Ensemble’ category at the prestigious 2024 Parliamentary Jazz Awards. Subsequently performing sold out shows at Ronnie Scotts, Pizza Express Jazz and the 606
Club, the band now present their best recorded work to date, which represents the sum of each players’ musical experience, combined through hard work and special connection into a collective effort that is nothing short of excellent.