The Road Home by J. Steinkoler Quartet

The newest member, bassist Sam Bevan, brings a refined spontaneity to his bass lines and a lyrical approach to his solos. Between the four players, there exists a mutual respect and musical understanding which imbues every performance with integrity and playfulness, qualities perceived by both the musicians and the audience.

In 2001, The JSQ released it's first full-length CD, The Road Home (Evander Music) to substantial critical acclaim. The album has been featured on radio stations across the country and in Europe, and continues to garner excellent reviews from the media. With the addition of Andre Bush on guitar and Sam Bevan on bass since the recording of the CD, the JSQ has continued to evolve, maturing into a well-seasoned group reaching new heights of collective improvisation and interaction.

The JSQ is currently planning on returning to the recording studio in 2004 to record a second CD reflecting the continued evolution of Jeremy's composing and collaboration with Andre, Jim, and Sam. I hope you enjoy listening to The Road Home. Please visit www.jsteinkoler.com for more information, reviews and updates.

"Some great albums reach greatness through a uniformity of sound, like a sculpture chiseled from one block of marble; Kind of Blue leaps to mind. Other albums achieve their heights through eclectic variety, and while a number of attempts might be suggested, I'd like to propose Jeremy Steinkoler's The Road Home.

Steinkoler displays a taste for the unusual and diverse on this eleven-track album. He's a technician on the traps, delivering savory licks for all occasions. The album launches with "The 8-Ball is Neutral," opening with a prominent bass line from Devin Hoff and splashes of color from Scott Foster on guitar. Jim Patterson lights up his alto sax and from there the group continues through a straight-ahead jazz piece with colorful solos served up by all involved. The next track, "Chill," comes across more like the ensemble bands of the 1970s and 1980s, a little cooler and more introspective than the opener. "Sunny Came Home" - yes, Shawn Colvin's folk-pop hit - is brilliantly covered without losing the essence of the original. Equally moving but less obvious covers are Abdullah Ibrahim's "Water from an Ancient Well" and Karla Bonoff's "Home," further proof of the far-flung influences drawn upon by this band....Every track brings a surprise and remains fresh after repeated listens. "Something for everyone" is a promise rarely kept and usually suggests mediocrity. Not so with The Road Home.

(Jim Nelson, allaboutjazz.com)

"According to the opening track of the new J. Steinkoler Quartet CD, The Road Home (Evander Music), "the 8-ball is neutral." Jeremy Steinkoler's drumming is anything but. The young percussionist doesn't draw attention to himself with overbearing flash. Yet time and again you find your ears drawn to the crisp rhythmic drive he imparts to every groove, from funk and New Orleans R & B to straight-ahead jazz, and to the deft accents he tics out on cymbals and skins."

(Derk Richardson, San Francisco Bay Guardian)

"A superb new CD. Leader Jeremy Steinkoler is a master trap drummer who applies the art of coordinated independence with aplomb to bop and postbop styles, as well as to New Orleans second-line parade beats.... A very swinging drummer who's mastered the art of coordinated independence."

(Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express)

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