I'm Casey and I just got signed.

[Miguel]

[Tom22]

Tusk ‏@HaleysTusk 5m
Watch @JSaysKnee have that "God Bless The Child" WTF moment listening to @HaleyReinhart hit a note @4:06
http://youtu.be/267tzX6H2lM?t=3m40s …

When I listened to this yesterday, a number of thoughts went through my mind regarding Quinton. Yesterday, I decided not to comment, but listening again, I can't restrain myself. I'm on the fence about Quinton's keyboard abilities: I've heard some really good things from him -- I've also heard stuff that was really unimpressive.

However, I can speak with some authority when it comes to his playing of brass instruments. And with that authority, I can say that, whether Quinton wants to play a trombone or a trumpet, he needs to do some serious "woodshedding." While his tone on trombone isn't dreadful, it does display a lack of mature playing. (I don't know how long Quinton been playing "at" trombone.) In addition, his technique is, at best, sloppy.

About his trumpet playing, his tone is at about a grade school level, and his technique is equally as sloppy as his trombone playing. That said, if he's determined to play a brass instrument, he should really select one or the other and then concentrate on becoming proficient. The difference in the size of the mouthpiece on each instrument (the trumpet small, the trombone large) requires very different muscles in the embouchure (which isn't simply the mouth, but the cheek muscles as well), so it would be a rare individual who can do both (and I think I've heard of it, but can't remember who it was). Currently, Quinton isn't close to being able to play both well.

I've said that because of Casey's musical skills, he tends to draw to him other very gifted musicians. Quinton is an exception -- and I'm not quite sure why he's there. Perhaps, Casey's trying to test his "music educator" cred. And I'm all for "encouraging" people to challenge themselves -- that's what I learned from the dearest person in my life. But there needs to be some judgement calls about how "those challenges" are put before the public -- preferably the person(s) making them would be -- the "challenged."

OMG I was about to post in this thread about Quinton but, I have a slightly different take.

I do agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of the High school level trumpet and the trombone was only a few steps better earlier..

.. however I was going to post about a real progress I've seen in him.

I too am very curious about his background... was he a bass player perhaps who had tremendous musical sense (or at least to Casey (and perhaps my taste)?

To my ear he shows a great understanding of the sway and feel of the songs yet I've certainly heard him get lost.... as if he doesn't know even the keys or the results of a slide or ambature change in terms of what pitch it will create.

This is one of the most distinct differences between your and my taste MAE of course too...

I think I have a tremendous preference to people who lean on the syncopated notes and play there instruments, whether voice or bass or brass, with guttural attacks on notes.

I'm also more prone to like a bluesier sound or alternatively enjoy some of this neo soul sounds where the soloist jumps the beat and like the rappers, creates a polyrhytym like feel contrasting rhythm track .... with classical music I think I'm far more prone to enjoy (enjoy vs appreciate quality) movements with a classical dance rhythm whether rondos or waltzes or toccatas (and polkas which are traditional not classical). I won't elaborate on that here.


Its interesting to me though that we share an appreciation for ZZ Ward who I think tends to demonstrate lean far more heavily on rhythmic expression than vocal quality(but maybe I'm wrong about what you appreciate there). It far less surprising that we both enjoy LSD because Rachel's voice and mastery is undeniable on top of unique and emotionally full phrasing.

I wonder if you like the LSD trumpet player as much as I do ? Who I find mesmerizing and flowingly expressive but uses purposely messy finger and ambature techniques? Certainly he has far more musically interesting riffs and expresses without falling into contrite licks .. unlike a fair portion of Quentin's performances to date.


Back to Quinton.... I do wonder where he came from but I've heard huge progress and found myself wincing far far less and oohing and ahhing more frequently at good parts. His poor parts now only feel "trite" not wincingly wrong.

I feel he has always had a touch that flatters and expands on Casey's intent with a song... and I strongly feel that the role of other instrumentalists is to flatter each other in the lead and intent of the director.. not to exhibit prowess that might go in different emotional or too contrasting directions or (or subjects as I believe all music has a subject in human emotion).

Miguel links the performance with Lusk right above this which I think points to what i like and see improving in Quentin

Here is another. Over-all, in both the one above and this one below I think Quentin does a very good job... he's interesting enough to me, has a tone I enjoy at times very much (with still a few glitches.. less glaring than the past by far though).

I think above (miguels Jason lusk link) he really favor's Jason.. with a cool down solo that says "yes jason yes" in not a quite mimic but enough so, which also sets up the sax solo with the more mellow interlude he(quentin provides).. clearly the sax player is super proficient but had he followed Jason he would not have been free to play because it would have been too much "all me" and not have given a digestiment period for Jasons prior performance.

The one below gives a similar break for Casey and I think is very good at times in its own right... certainly building atop some standard trombone licks but I like the choices (again with a couple exceptions where he fell on a safety net)




and I will point out this one, that sounded terrible in a sound quality sense from some here and in thread you criticized quentin for tone (and I too wince at 3:30 but only shortly). I like this recording best of that performance because I think it actually captures the Quentins playing which really is the foundation for that song to have any swagger at all.



I think he really contributes to that performance (and I like that performance). Some of his rougher sounds are really more like a NO street band style where rougher slides are, I think, core statements of a "swagger".. core emotions, which also reminds me of your dislike for what you guess might be I Mayfield (in his solo portion) not hitting what he was reaching for but I found integral to the progression of the piece ... and expressing a very definite human take (again "swagger" related to purposeful roughness and in IM place, raising ambition to an over reach as Over reach is a human emotion and a rather ecstatic one.. reach ever higher beyond your abilities even if you fall short.. important release message of blues music imo)



But yes, I agree wholeheartedly with your comment in that thread that the Clarinet player was the one that made the performance....and I'll add that for my taste that clarinet player was poignantly sublime in quite a memorable way..... BUT the sense of ultimate "closure" of the blues message he provided would be far far less remarkable without the more simple and base emotional emotions of the soloists before (not a contrast of quality imo but a contrast of the slice of a human thought they paint)


OK,

Back to Quentin... I think he has something special that Casey sees similar to my expression above.. I think the expression he has is a prety rare thing, especially among young people in LA willing to work for peanuts .... far less replaceable than skilled mastery.

While his technical skills with his instrument are not nearly up to the task (not even remotely a IM ) yet I hear that aspect improving each month.

I'd love to hear his story. Did Quentin just pick up playing music on brass instruments?

[lauraliz]

Here is a vid of Casey, Jacob, Quentin & Marshall Hawkins at the Jazz in the Pines Festival yesterday

[My Alter Ego]

^^Thanks, Lauraliz!

Man, Casey's former teacher, one "Mr. Marshall Hawkins" is the "King of Cool" when he plays! He doesn't play "a lot of notes," but rather sparingly, yet extremely effectively!

Quinton did a good job on "Georgia."

[lauraliz]

IA Alter Ego--Marshall H is a very cool cat. I think he's a great mentor for Casey and others. Idyllwild Arts has a nice bio about him

http://www.idyllwildarts.org/page.cfm?p=...dirid=2958

[My Alter Ego]

IA Alter Ego--Marshall H is a very cool cat. I think he's a great mentor for Casey and others. Idyllwild Arts has a nice bio about him

http://www.idyllwildarts.org/page.cfm?p=...dirid=2958

His (Mr. Marshall Hawkins) philosophy can be summed up by his statement: “The world would ‘b-flat’ without music.”

Well, on the one hand, that's a groaner (if you know music/music theory), but on the other he's absolutely right.

He's got an impressive bio. Casey, and other jazz students at IAA, are fortunate to have someone this skilled and adept at teaching to build the jazz program at Idyllwild.

[Tom22]

Here is a vid of Casey, Jacob, Quentin & Marshall Hawkins at the Jazz in the Pines Festival yesterday

^^Thanks, Lauraliz!

Man, Casey's former teacher, one "Mr. Marshall Hawkins" is the "King of Cool" when he plays! He doesn't play "a lot of notes," but rather sparingly, yet extremely effectively!

Quinton did a good job on "Georgia."

Thanks from me too. I really enjoyed the "show"

> I keep hearing Casey Improve as a singer as the years go by
> thats a long show with Casey "on" live carrying a lot of load singing in an improvisational way with little break of falling back into comfortable renditions
> his voice might have been getting a bit strained in physical way as it went but he wasn't losing a beat musically using the voice as it went along

> "beat" .. without a drummer present, I think Marshall Hawkins played with a special attention to that segment of the bass's role. I'm sure his elegant simplicity is always a part of his effectiveness but that situation might have accentuated and restrained other types of deviations.

> re Quentin.. following about 5:05 in Sweet Home Chicago, Hawkins smiles at Quentin in appreciation a couple times. It was probably just a matter of making sure the bass and keys were communicating in their rthymic role but it also looked like approval. Quentin does have a sense for that sort of thing(I feel) and I think when I've heard him overstep in the past has been in segments where he's been called on to do something more flamboyant in an interlude that give Casey a break (or mark a separation between other instrumentalists) etc.

> as for the B flat line as if b-flat was a bad thing, it was a funny line from a blues musician particularly.
.... he probably meant it for an audience who'd take it as a grade of B - minus? lol but the funny thing there is if you run with that analogy B flat (b minus ? ) is the same note as A sharp (a-plus?).... guess its a line that shouldn't be thought about too carefully.

[Miguel]

caseybassy
1 hour ago
Thanks Idyllwild. Last Sunday was insane. @jsayswho @qmzigler Marshal Hawkins and I loved making up stories through jazz on stage in the pines. Thanks @ivanhatesinstagram for the photo.

[My Alter Ego]

I do agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of the High school level trumpet and the trombone was only a few steps better earlier..

Tom, I said that Quinton's tone on trumpet was that of someone in elementary (grade) school, not high school. (These days, high school students can be extraordinarily good -- just a hair away from playing like a professional. In fact some of them are playing as well as some professionals.)

I too am very curious about his background... was he a bass player perhaps who had tremendous musical sense (or at least to Casey (and perhaps my taste)?

I don't get the sense that Quinton plays any stringed instrument. I think piano/electric keyboard was probably his first instrument, and sometimes he's good on it. His brass playing efforts indicate (to me) that he's "self-taught," (if one can call his "making it up as he goes along" taught), which means that he will have a lot of bad habits, and there will be things that he will likely never do correctly.

I wonder if you like the LSD trumpet player as much as I do ?

That can't be answered, although I do thoroughly enjoy "McDuck's" playing. He knows his instrument well, and knows what he can do with it. He makes smart choices in his improvisations and he can pull off those stylistic things that may seem like "messy fingering and poor embouchure technique" precisely because he has technique behind it.

Its interesting to me though that we share an appreciation for ZZ Ward

Not sure at all how you got that impression. I'm reasonably certain I haven't commented on her at all.

Back to Quinton, Tom you read far more into my post than was stated. My point was that if Quinton is determined to play some brass instrument: a.) he should choose one of them; and b.) it would behoove him to do his "practicing" in private, not at public (and recorded) events.

> as for the B flat line as if b-flat was a bad thing, it was a funny line from a blues musician particularly.
.... he probably meant it for an audience who'd take it as a grade of B - minus? lol but the funny thing there is if you run with that analogy B flat (b minus ? ) is the same note as A sharp (a-plus?).... guess its a line that shouldn't be thought about too carefully.

(See statement in bold) -- Doubtful. Yes, it's true that an A sharp and a B flat are musically the same tone, but in the scale the A is pitched lower than a B, whereas in grades, an A is higher than a B.

[Tom22]

sorry if I sounded argumentative MAE.. just looking forward to you insights..

I was interested in your take on McDuck ... yes "precisely because he has technique behind it" makes sense. I guess I could have guessed that you'd feel that way but I was still curious. I'm glad that you enjoy him. Yes relative enjoyment is a silly thing but just wanted to say I do really enjoy his playing within the "question"

Yah,Quentin would get far better at an instrument if he focused on one; as I myself mentioned in other threads "jack of all trades, master of none". Casey's must have a motive and I suspect the motive is more based on the mood of the entire show .... a live performance is only part music....part a created ambience. I guess I see a suggestion that Casey wants both a horn and a keyboard depending on the number. And I think Casey wants spells without himself playing or singing for texture and contrast.

A connection there to LSD . McDuck he plays a number of instruments. On a couple of my favorites from the albums I'm pretty certain that he play mutiple parts. As you pointed out with the trumpet he and Q are a different league of mastery on all of them.

I'm still curious to how long Q has been playing music... there is something odd because he sounds too musically talented to my ear to have such a low level of mastery at his age ...even on the keyboard.
...maybe he was at Arts school with Casey as an actor not a musician? The story will come out eventually I guess.

sorry I had the impression you were posting in the zz ward thread.. least I didn't call you kenny poo ! : )


btw .. I wonder what Marshalls was after then with the b-flat if he didn't mean it as a B minus?

(and certainly I know a is below b in a scale but that made the irony funnier still for me... .. ... ... it would be a truly cheeky rationalization by a music student to explain a poor report card. ("a's are below b's on the music scale so I got confused, Mom" ; ) )