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Toledo Roots and Early Inspiration
Jason Quick lives up to his surname. The guitarist and Toledo musical force is always moving forward, constantly churning out great music. On February 20 at Lucille’s, Quick will introduce his new quintet Jason Quick and the Age of Jive Band, composed of the best area players.
“I wrote some new music and I’ve got some really good players from Toledo, Detroit and Ann Arbor on this project,” explains Quick, who has been playing music since he was 13. “[Although] everybody is really busy with their own projects, … [they’re] coming in for this show at Lucille’s.”
Jive talking
And what a show it will be. The Age of Jive Band includes Kenji Lee from Ann Arbor on saxophone. Quick has been a longtime admirer of Lee’s and is excited to have him as part of the group. “I’ve been listening to (Lee’s) recordings and attending his shows for a while now and I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to record with him,” said Quick.
Playing the French horn is Will Schneider, who hails from Toledo. Jeff Pedraz—originally from Philadelphia— plays upright bass. “Jeff has played with a lot of great musicians over the years, and it’s really exciting to be able to work with him,” said Quick. Rounding out the new quintet is Brad Billmaier on drums.
The newly formed band has recorded
Jason Quick’s new quintet, from left to right: Jeff Pedraz, Kenji Lee, Jason Quick, Brad Billmaier, Will Schneider usher in the Age of Jive. an album together, which was made possible by a grant from The Arts Commission, and the group is waiting for the right time for its release. “The new recording is sitting in the can and I don’t know when I’m going to release it,” said Quick. “We’ll probably play some shows like the one at Lucille’s to give people a taste of it before we actually release it.”
Radio jazz
Quick is staying busy getting his name and music out into the musical zeitgeist. His most recent album, “Get What’s Coming,” was released last April and Quick has promoted the new music with jazz stations across the country.
Though Quick the airplay of “Get What’s Coming” as “humble,” he’s happy and proud that the album is getting national attention. “I was able to send (the album) to various radio stations, not only locally, but different parts of the country,” said Quick. “Getting airplay outside of Toledo really feels good.”
Though he says the new album with The Age of Jive won’t be coming out for a while, he’s excited to debut his new musical project at Lucille’s. “I’m really excited about the new music,” said Quick. “It’s very modern and it will be good to do a world premiere at Lucille’s. We’ll be playing music that’s never been played in front of people.”
Jason Quick and the Age of Jive will perform at Lucille’s Jazz Lounge inside TolHouse, 1447 N. Summit St., Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets on Eventbrite. lucillesjazzlounge.com
