Quinn Sternberg – June (Spotify)
“The breath of wind instruments, the light rustle of percussion and the huge abundance of feelings that pour through the speakers. Find out an immersive effect indescribable in words. An authentic emotional euphoria, which reflects "Quinn Sternberg" sincere love for music.”
“Дыхание духовых инструментов, лёгкий шелест перкуссий и огромное изобилие чувств, которые льются сквозь динамики. Непередаваемый словами эффект погружения. Настоящая эмоциональная эфория, в которой отражается искренняя любовь авторов к музыке.”
-Nagamag.com
The second single from Cicada Songs, the sublime “June” (out Feb 18), best illustrates Sternberg’s departure from the traditional soloist vs. band structure of most jazz ensembles. “I just told everyone in the band, like, no one’s the soloist, we’re just playing,” notes the composer. Indeed, it’s hard to hear any one instrument take the fore in “June”. It’s very much a sum of all parts, with Quinn’s bass interjecting melodic fragments under interweaving lines tossed between Sam’s saxophone and Charlie’s guitar, with echoes of all in the bell tones coaxed from the Rhodes piano by Oscar and cleverly underpinned by the dexterous Peter Varnado’s drumming. Named for Quinn’s dog, “June” evokes images of a dog running through a field in a peaceful doggy dream. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure scene where you can pick a musical line to hang with, take in the ensemble sound as a whole, or just lie back and dream yourself.
Reviewed by Nagamag on March 5, 2022