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Ted Quinlan: Streetscape

By Jerry D'Souza
December 23, 2009
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Guitarist Ted Quinlan's diverse musical tastes are reflected on Streetscape, in which he seeks to capture the sound of places like the Danforth in Toronto, Commercial Drive in Vancouver, the Left Bank in Paris and Greenwich Village in New York.

Quinlan's wide canvas is well marked, and his approach not only reflects influences that include

Wes Montgomery

guitar
1923 - 1968

" data-original-title="" title="">Wes Montgomery,

Ed Bickert

guitar
1932 - 2019

" data-original-title="" title="">Ed Bickert and

Pat Metheny

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Metheny, but also his own muse which gives the music his individuality.

Quinlan is clean and crisp, and his explorations open a wide panorama into which he instills a range of moods. While the emphasis is on contemporary styling, there is a nod to mainstream jazz with a tinge of country music that adds to the appeal.

Funk is parlayed into a catchy rhythm that latches on to the mood of a "Block Party." Quinlan extends that pale, bending his strings, adding jazz harmony and swinging along. It is quite a synthesis of the way in which he can define and manifest a composition into a striking piece of work.

An acoustic guitar and a country sound illustrate the mellow musings of "Go West." Quinlan enunciates the melody with an open ambience that lets it breathe and through repeated motifs that make it throb. The acoustic "Crowchild" chimes in on a softer, shaded platform, the melody glowing in the sun of its captivating melody. Bassist Keiran Overs and drummer

Ted Warren

drums
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Ted Warren take it to the next plateau with an intimately woven dialogue that is as cool as it is irresistible.

Warren and Overs are instinctive in their engagements with Quinlan to create a vantage point of discourse. Space and interjection are used judiciously to give this trio's music a pertinent presence throughout.

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Track Listing

Yamandu; Le Conti; Go West; Vibrolux; Speakeasy; Hilo; Crowchild; Brioche; Block Party.

Personnel

Ted Quinlan

guitar

Ted Quinlan: guitars; Kieran Overs: bass; Ted Warren: drums.

Album information

Title: Streetscape | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Addo Records

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