Dean Johnson wrote an article in AUGUST 1, 2019 issue of Tourist and Town on Initials JR and our residency at the Leavitt Theater in Ogunquit, ME. Read the entire piece on page 31.
http://touristandtown.com/images/issues/issue_80119_web.pdf
by Dean Johnson
So you’ve decided to add a little live musical entertainment to your schedule this week, and you have the good fortune to learn that
someone will be performing in the area who has a head-spinning list of musical credentials: performing with David Bowie, touring
with Cyndi Lauper, recording with Madonna, gigging with Chuck Berry.
Kennebunk resident John Kumnick is the bassist extraordinaire who has racked up all that heavy duty musical experience,
and he performs each week in the jazz trio Initials JR that also features his drummer son Dylan and Dylan’s longtime friend Nick Wilby on guitar.
The band has an instrumental repertoire of that ranges from the Meters” “Cissy Strut” and Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” to Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Little Sunflower.”
Take in a typical set, and you’ll hear Metheny-esque guitar
lines and the kind of inspired, softly throbbing sounds that suggest
classic ECM-style jazz from the likes of Eberhard Weber or Oregon.
In other words, it’s music that quietly intrigues and demands
attention without overwhelming the listener with sheer volume.