Huu Bac Quintet

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Huu Bac Quach brings his acclaimed quintet together for a distinctive dialogue between Vietnamese, Chinese and Andean musical traditions and contemporary jazz. Inspired by his travels across Asia, Europe and South America, Huu Bac performs his original compositions on a range of traditional instruments alongside guitar and a superb Montreal-based ensemble.

Born in Vietnam to parents of Chinese descent and raised in Canada, Huu Bac’s musical path has taken him from jazz guitar studies at McGill University to exploring traditional instruments across Asia and South America. He studied the dan bau, a Vietnamese one-stringed instrument, and the erhu, a Chinese fiddle, before his encounters with Afro-Peruvian and Andean music led him to the quena, an Andean bamboo flute.

Founded in Montreal in 2013, the Huu Bac Quintet brings together some of the city’s finest jazz musicians, performing Huu Bac’s original compositions shaped by his international experiences. Their music balances the improvisational spirit of jazz with the textures, melodies and traditions of the instruments at its core, creating a refined sound world where heritage meets innovation.

Before forming his quintet, Huu Bac collaborated twice with Cirque du Soleil, recording for the productions Totem and Toruk, followed by his debut album On the Steps of St-Paul’s in 2017, with a second album due in 2026. Having toured across Canada, the USA, China, Korea, Peru and beyond, the quintet continues to explore new connections between traditional music and contemporary jazz.

“The ensemble features an extraordinary dialogue between rare instruments… all backed by a powerhouse jazz rhythm section.”
— BroadwayWorld