"Looking back at Kevin through his formidably individual tunnel of
works, it's hard to remember that his first official recorded statement
would be caught sneaking into bed alongside history's milestones of
"solo instrument improvisation." Or that, in turn, it also would be
caught trying to sneak out of the house built by Father Jazz, into a
backyard that still hasn't quite been fenced off yet. Those running
around Chicago chasing down the sound in the mid-90's should've
already known about this guy and his contributions both in and out of
the relative spotlight. For those far from the city winds, thankfully
they might've gotten the message in the form of this missive. In the
afterglow of later love letters titled “Sheer Hellish Miasma” and
“Imperial Distortion”, it's absolutely overdue that this first musty
green postcard be dug out, polished off, and framed.
Judged by its understated title, "Self-Titled" aka "Guitar" is incredibly
literal -- what you hear is what you get. In the simplest
considerations, the ensuing connotations and possibilities are wide
open; the real-time velocity of urgent decision and movement are
wrapped in a clearly-mapped compositional endurance that continues to
stand firmly in the relative spotlights of this day. No surprise then,
that even all these years later, we would still be trying to figure
out exactly at which table Kevin should squarely sit.
They say that every kid who heard this record immediately went out and
grabbed a busted guitar with a scratchy selector switch, ready to
subject their friends to fuzzy pauses of amp hum. I know of at least
four."
-- C. Spencer Yeh, spring 2010, Brooklyn NY |