Moutin Reunion Quartet

When Parisian-born twin brothers Louis and François Moutin chose the name Moutin Reunion Quartet, the choice began as little more than an inside joke. The term “reunion” alluded to their decision to launch a group roughly three decades after their first musical collaboration at age five. Growing up amid their parents’ extensive, predominantly jazz-filled record library, the siblings initially pursued different instruments—Louis on piano and François on guitar—before both adopted their present roles, drums for Louis and upright bass for François, by the time they turned twenty. Louis earned a master’s degree in mathematics and François a doctorate in physics, yet within three years of completing their studies each abandoned conventional professions to pursue jazz full time. Louis launched his professional path with Trio Machado before working as a sideman alongside John Abercrombie, Markus Stockhausen, Albert Mangelsdorff, and Michel Legrand. François began with the Martial Solal Trio and, while still based in Paris, performed with Randy Brecker, Toots Thielemans, and Archie Shepp. In late 1997 François relocated to New York City, where he collaborated with Frank Wess, Monty Alexander, Simon Shaheen, and numerous others. Although separated by continents, the brothers assembled the Moutin Reunion Quartet in 1999 and recruited two additional French musicians: pianist Baptiste Trotignon, previously associated with Mangelsdorff, and saxophonist Sylvain Beuf, an alumnus of the Martial Solal circle. Together the quartet issued its debut album, Power Tree, in 2002. After Beuf departed, former Miles Davis saxophonist and New York resident Rick Margitza joined, and this revised lineup delivered Red Moon in early 2004.