EXQUISICION – ‚Borea‘
2026
With “Borea”, drummer and composer Jonas Imhof and his quartet ¡exquisición! present an album that not only explores boundaries but deliberately crosses them. This latest release is far more than a continuation of his previous work—it marks a departure into new sonic realms.
The premise alone is promising: a collaboration that transcends linguistic and stylistic boundaries, between wind and string instruments, between jazz and classical music. For “Borea,” ¡exquisición! has teamed up with the Valeik String Quartet, thereby expanding its musical expressiveness with an additional, subtle dimension. At the heart of the album lies the dialogue between two worlds. The delicate precision of the strings meets the expressive energy of the quartet—a tension that carries the music from the very beginning. This gives rise to soundscapes that are as delicate as they are powerful, moving between structural clarity and improvisational freedom. Alongside original compositions, the album also features new arrangements of works by Maurice Ravel, whose impressionistic color palette is revealed here in a new light.
– Nathalie Benelli, Walliser Bote April 2026
EXQUISICION – ‚Tsa‘
2023 Unit Records, UTR5102
„The Swiss quartet’s second album is a relaxed but expansive affair. Exquisición are masters at musically describing geographical locations, such as the Tuscan thermal baths of Bagno Vignone , the atmospherically slightly icy-sounding carnival in the Swiss mountain village of Evolène in “Mardi Gras”, which then takes on an anthem-like form and strongly evokes New Orleans, or the African-inspired “Bamboulélé”, which recalls the great deeds of Abdullah Ibrahim from the 1970s. This versatility makes Exquisición a formation whose passionate moods consistently generate poetic power.“
– Jazzthing, May 2023
EXQUISICION – ‚Conquistador‘
2021 Unit Records, UTR4988
„Anyone who can imagine enjoying an Alpine-sounding version of Sons of Kemet will find what they are looking for in drummer Jonas Imhof’s new album. The Swiss quartet consists of saxophone, trumpet, tuba and drums. The latter two provide funky grooves, while the trumpet and saxophone playfully engage with catchy melodies. Every now and then, free passages emerge; the four are no strangers to witty collective improvisation, but relaxed beats and earthy tuba bass lines are the main focus of the record. ‘Sussman Run’ is reminiscent of the hectic melodies of Albert Ayler, while “Bergblues” mourns the longing for altitude in a bluesy way, or so it seems. In general, although ‘Exquisicion’ is very driving, the quieter moments are just as remarkable, because the lyrical qualities of this combo should not be underestimated.“
-Concerto May 2021, xapl
EXQUISICION – ‚oru seco‘
2019 Unit Records, UTR4909
„Jonas offers us a solo drum set re-orchestration of the Oru Seco ritual, a Santeria ceremony, normally performed by 3 or 4 drummers with Bata drums. Recontextualized for an instrument we are well acquainted with, it is somehow fitting as the ritual itself (the worship of the Orichas) in Cuba exists as a transposition from its original Yoruba origins. By transposition I mean that Christian dieties take the place of Yoruba gods, but the purpose of the ritual remains the same – to communicate with the spirit world through trance. Heard performed here by Jonas in solo I hear both the drum set and the ritual in new ways. The notion of shades of resonance and color elicited by the subtle shifts in the repetitious structures offer a new entrance for our ears to this significant ritual and a way to engage with the drum set as an organic entity of tones and colors.
– Gerry Hemingway