Alchemist Quintet
Modern jazz reimagined through diverse influences and original compositions
One voice one breath
About Alchemist Quintet
Celebrating the fusion of diverse influences in modern jazz. A unified sound. One voice...
Anoushka's Story, The Back Room in Berkeley, CA, December 16, 2023
The Alchemist Quintet musicians
Michele Walther - violin
Doug Pet - tenor & soprano saxophone
John Kiskaddon - piano
Ted Burik - bass
Greg German - drums
Thursday Night, The Back Room in Berkeley, CA, December 16, 2023
Unique Modern Jazz Compositions
Experience modern jazz with unique influences and original compositions.
Live Performances
Join the quintet for captivating high-energy live performances that blend diverse musical traditions and styles. You'll hear original modern jazz compositions contributed by each member of the quintet along with carefully curated jazz standards.
Members have recorded or performed with Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull, Joe Lovano, Gloria Estefan, Jazz Mafia, Marcos Silva, Kai Eckhardt (John McLaughlin), Terrence Brewer, Gerald Beckett, Steve McQuarry, Oscar Stagnaro (Paquito D'Rivera), Resonance Jazz, Mark Feldman, Benny Rietveld (Miles Davis, Santana), Barbara Morrison, Sandy Cressman, The Stray Horns, and the Mandala Orchestra; in the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Argentina, Brasil, and in the Bay Area, notably at the SFJazz Center and Yoshi's.
Celebrating diverse influences through original modern jazz
The Alchemist Quintet blends modern jazz with diverse influences, creating a unique musical experience. With instruments celebrating their rich backgrounds, the ensemble reimagines notes into something extraordinary, echoing the past while forging new paths in sound.
Experience the harmony of saxophone, violin, piano, bass, and drums as each ensemble member celebrates and shares their unique backgrounds and craft through original compositions that resonate with the past while embracing the new. The music of the Alchemist Quintet reflects influences from modern jazz, the blues, European classical traditions, and the American songbook.
Photo Gallery
Celebrating the Art of Modern Contemporary Jazz
I have now listened to Ghost Radio several times. I found myself particularly drawn to how the performances by Walther and Pet were meticulously synchronized, just creating a sonority emerging from the superposition of bowed strings and blown reed. Pet plays both soprano and tenor saxophones, whose sonorities are distinctively diverse.
Stephen Smoliar, The Rehearsal Studio Blog
Absolutely love listening to and seeing the Alchemist Quintet perform! They transcend jazz music from the past and present. Their rich compositions elevate the skill and artistry of each musician.
Andrea M.
Our Listeners