Saxophonist John O"Gallagher has carved out a formidable reputation as a musician and composer who seeks to expand beyond the frontiers of jazz and into new territories of improvisational concepts. His list of collaborators is a who"s-who of adventurous improvised music. Recently he"s extended into an actual new territory, moving to Lisbon, Portugal in 2021. This new record Beast captures him playing in front of a live audience with a new multi-generational ensemble of musicians from the fertile European improv scene. Rhythm section duties are handled by the Portuguese team of Ze Almeida on bass and drummer Joao Lencastre. Joining the band on piano is the German musical polymath Samuel Gapp, so that this recording marks the first time in John"s prodigious and storied career that he has recorded as a leader with the classic piano quartet line-up.