Jazzclub : Dan Weiss Quartet: "Unclassified Affections"

What do we feel when we feel? The great writer Virginia Woolf once wrote of "unclassified affections, of which there are so many."

The quartet led by New York drummer Dan Weiss shows us that this feeling can be directed not only toward people, but also toward music.

On his latest album, "Unclassified Affections," he reveals himself to be strongly influenced by classical literature. Similar to this, his compositions also create vast spaces of consciousness. Behind every door you open, another one awaits. A never-ending labyrinth of layers of meaning. It is not without reason thatJazz TrailwroteofWeiss' "rare ability to tell stories with music."

The star-studded quartet is rounded out byPeter Evanson trumpet,Miles Okazakion guitar, and Patricia Brennanon vibraphone. Brennan wowed audiences as recently as 2025 with a solo set at the 49th Leipziger Jazztage. In their ensemble playing, the band constantly shifts between rhythmic sophistication and melodic grace. At times, they rigorously follow a compositional theme; at others, they break free from external labels through wild improvisation. In this respect, it is not only the audience’s affection for the music that proves unclassifiable—but the music itself as well.