Kevin Quinn Paramedic Review
by Bea Willis
A New York native, Kevin Quinn began his journey in music at eighteen while attending the State University of New York at New Paltz while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Jazz studies. After graduating, he started his career as a sound engineer at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn, NY. Quinn’s debut release, Paramedic features: Quinn on guitar and compositions, Mark Dziuba on guitar and compositions, Dave Savitsky on alto saxophone, Ira Coleman on bass, and Jeff “Siege” Siegel on drums. Paramedic was recorded at Upland Studios by John Menegon and mixed and mastered by Marian Gomez Villota. The album contains six original compositions, three from Quinn and three from Dziuba.
The title track, “Paramedic” has an interesting form that visits various feels through the different sections. The two guitars have a nice interplay and with the addition of Savitsky’s alto saxophone, the melodies are also varied in both color and harmonized variant. Dziuba’s guitar solo is full of slurred flurries of notes that build energy and interest. His use of intervals also adds interest. Savitsky’s saxophone solo builds upon Dziuba’s language and overall tone, the band does a salient job of keeping things consistent while respectfully listening to each other. Quinn’s solo is playful and builds rhythmic fragments into musical statements as he outlines the underlying chordal colors. This is Quinn’s original composition and he shows that he is an imaginative performer and composer.
“Martian Sausage” has a funky groove that supports an intriguing melody with moments of angular lines paired with sustained notes, while Dziuba’s solo is interactive with Siegel’s drum kit. This track offers excellent playing by Siegel throughout as he is tasteful and interactive with Dziuba, Savitsky and Quinn. Quinn builds his solo with a theme of ascending lines and just the right amount of warm distortion with his guitar sound. The band plays a portion of the melody to allow Siegel to riff against for closing statement. On its own this is a strong composition, when the band interacts, listens and interjects phrases, the music takes on a deeper and meaningful experience, not just a series of virtuosic solos statements. Well done guys!
On some tracks like “Final Fantasy,” there is strong sense of swing with a melodic sensibility, while tunes like “Paramedic,” or “Martian Sausage,” offer a darkly hued modern sentiment. Or the introspective emotive of tunes like “Your Changes,” or “Morgan’s Nocturne,” show the fully compositional fathomage of Quinn’s pen. A recommended listen not matter your jazz tang.
Kevin Quinn Paramedic Review
Tracks to sample first: “Paramedic,” “Martian Sausage” and “Final Fantasy.” The song to take a chance on is “Morgan’s Nocturne.”
- Release Date: July 20, 2018
- Label: Self-Released
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