Kevin Kastning
36-string guitarist | composer

For Your Consideration

The Second Realm

Contemporary Instrumental Album

Silent Dimensions
Jazz Instrumental Album

In Visible Ascent
Jazz Instrumental Album

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Kevin Kastning & Soheil Peyghambari

 Press Quotes
 

"When I see there is a new album available from Kevin Kastning I know it is going to be fascinating and that it will take me into areas I would not have previously experienced as a listener. That is again the case here, as he has chosen as his partner for this album Soheil Peyghambari who provides both bass and Bb clarinet while Kevin is on both 36-string Double Contraguitar and 17-string Hybrid Extended Classical guitar."

- Progressor Magazine (UZBEKISTAN)

"Kevin Kastning and Soheil Peyghambari develop dark, dramatic and deep sounds, investigating and experiencing composition and improvisation in equal parts. His dialogues are fluid and interact naturally throughout the 5 pieces that make up the album relying on a range of timbral textures as suggestive as elegant that explore the psyche with profusion; not in vain, it is Soheil Peyghambari himself who points out and defines a lucid dream as: "a dream during which the dreamer is aware that he is dreaming". "It's not a state of sleep, but of brief wakefulness or a state of conscious observation.
That is exactly what perfectly defines The First Realm, an exercise in awareness and mutual and lucid observation. A state of vigilance between Kevin Kastning and Soheil Peyghambari that elevates their music to the category of contemporary and unclassifiable art."

- El Escriba del Jazz (SPAIN)

"Kevin Kastning, American guitar wizard - both in the skill of the game, and ingenuity in creating new versions of the instrument. We meet with his new partner on this project, The Iranian clarinetist Soheil Peyghambari, for the first time. So, a few words about him. His first album Assumption was warmly received in both of these countries and brought Soheil the first awards. It is clear that the young Iranian is still significantly less known on the international stage than his eminent American partner, but the fact that Kastning wanted to play a duet with him, already says a lot about his talent and potential.
The First Realm album, their first experience of co-creation, was recorded in New York and Tehran. Mixing and mastering was carried out in Hungary by an old friend of Kevin's, Sandor Szabo, and the cover of his album musicians owe to the Russian Georgi Korunov - this is an example of musical globalization, in principle characteristic of today's world. But let's go directly to the music. The combination of Kastning's unusual guitars with Peyghambari clarinets (he played here on both the usual and low-voice bass clarinet) is unusual in itself, which has already given the sound of the album a unique specificity. If usually Kastning gravitates to ambient style, his Iranian partner unexpectedly introduced into the music (especially on the bass clarinet) features dramatic, emphatically emotional, which, I confess, I did not expect. The music of the album, in my opinion, only benefited from it. Nevertheless, the ambient remained its basis, as, indeed, the definition of "modern classical music" here will also be quite appropriate. In any case, it is a very curious work, worthy of your attentive listening."

- Jazz Square Magazine (RUSSIA)

Kevin Kastning & Bruno Raberg
Press Quotes

"Silent Dimensions, the latest album by American multi-string guitarist Kevin Kastning. Kevin Kastning has released more than 50 albums, but this is a duo album with Swedish bassist Bruno Råberg. He is a pianist, guitarist, and instrument inventor who has invented many multi-string guitars, and his playing style is mainly improvisational music. Each song on this album is centered on improvisational performances. I feel that the guitar sound has a lot of fourth-degree harmonies overall, but perhaps because of that, the overall atmosphere continues to be unstable. These harmonies have a pleasant sound full of overtones unique to a guitar that is different from a piano. If you let yourself be immersed in these sounds for a long time, you will be filled with a strange sensation as if each sound seeps into your body, as if you are filled with a floating sensation and your body is melting into it. The interaction with Bruno Råberg on bass is also very dramatic, and if you listen to it after knowing Kevin's attention to the reaction speed of the guitar sound as mentioned above, you can see the fun of this kind of improvisational exchange again from a different angle. It's a very exciting and fascinating album."

- Jazz Tokyo (JAPAN)

"On Silent Dimensions, Kevin plays contra and subcontra guitars with 16, 24 and 36 strings. In case you are wondering this is an instrument of his own invention, and he studied at Berklee College of Music and was a student of Pat Metheny. Double bassist Bruno is a Swedish musician and band leader.

It all sounds very technical, doesn’t it? But some intriguing sounds are produced and for students of guitar in particular this will be a fascinating listen. It is not all about virtuosity and invention as ‘Transfigure Vanish 1’ shows: a haunting, repetitive bassline and interesting use of percussion (tapped bass I think) accompanying the ascending guitar notes in an atmospheric and beguiling piece."

- dimensions in sound and space (US)

Kevin Kastning & Sandor Szabo

 Press Quotes
 

"Travelling through the worlds of jazz, new age, ambient, and modern classical this fifth album in Kevin Kastning and Sandor Szabo's Ethereal series is filled with lush orchestrations and unusual guitar voicings. Over the years Kastning has works with various solo and chamber group instrumentations and recorded a variety of albums with guitarist Alex de Grassi, bassist Michael Manring, and others. Also, Kastning has collaborated with Alistair Hay of Emerald Guitars inventing and building the 36-string Double Contraguitar. This double neck instrument consists of two 18-string Contraguitars used in two different tunings. It provides an extended range and an unusual harmonic palette and has become one of Kastning's main instruments for both concerts and recordings."

"Otherworld, Kevin's 2015 solo album, was the No.1 album in the world on the iTunes Classical charts in September 2015. As a revered guitarist and celebrated acoustic guitar wizard, Kastning continues expanding as a guitar phenomenon."

-Mediamusic (US)

"Ethereal V is a relaxing ambient release that intrigues the senses with its non-pattern based passages. It is a perfect album for juicing one’s creativity as it goes to unusual places in a very pleasurable fashion. There are moments that remind me of Frippertronics, and others that delve into the mysterious side dipping a tow into the Avant Garde. The combination of his special acoustic guitar and elongated rolling tones opens this music into a free form world that takes one to alternate universes."

- Mediaversal (US)

"When the standard guitar has limited his musical expression, Kevin Kastning has invented his own instruments to extend the pitch range of the guitar. For Ethereal V, he plays the 15-string and 17-string Hybrid Extended Classical guitar accompanied by orchestrations from Sandor Szabo. This is the fifth chapter of Kevin’s Ethereal series and it furthers their expression of galactic improvisation. At times it is like a mystery movie soundtrack, an introspective piece that is suitable for meditation."

- O's Place Jazz Magazine (US)

 "This time his tenth collaboration with guitarist Sandor Szabo with the release of their new album entitled Nograd on the Greydisc label, shows that he and Sandor have never disappointed me.

Adding the tension by creating these dangerous puzzle maps for the listener to walk through step by step, there are times that they combined the elements of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Lubos Fiser, Zdenek Liska, Gyorgy Ligeti, King Crimson, and Ottmar Liebert rolled into one. And some of these compositions can make you walk through the paintings of Jackson Pollock or walk through these spiral staircases that can take you into unknown locations.

 I always like to see bands and artists like Kevin
Kastning always taking those risks by pushing the envelope even more. Now it’s been five years since hearing his album Otherworld back in 2015, again as I’ve mentioned earlier, Kastning has never, ever disappointed me. And now it is time to pull both the curtains back and explore the world of Kevin Kastning and Sandor Szabo’s Nograd."

-- Music from the Other Side of the Room (US)

 Kevin Kastning & Phil Grenadier

Press Quotes
 

“Phil Grenadier is finally gaining the kind of attention due a trumpeter of rare fluency and depth.” – Andrew Gilbert

"Throughout a career that spans nearly three decades, trumpeter Phil Grenadier has emerged as one of jazz’s most imaginative and innovative players. His two albums as leader, 2000′s Sweet Transients and 2003′s Playful Intentions, have won him copious international acclaim, while his collaborations with a broad array of notable musicians demonstrate the raw talent and adventurousness that led the San Jose Mercury News to call him “a trumpeter of rare fluency and depth.”

“With his stylistic versatility, dark lyricism, and aggressive imagination, trumpeter Phil Grenadier can do just about anything.”
 - Boston Globe

"Grenadier….is a technically superb trumpeter. He’s so secure, with a great range, precise articulation and rock-solid time and pitch.”
- Jazz Times

“What Phil has done is honed a distinctive trumpet style with which he can deliver cutting statements on the most diverse material. His solos encapsulate the variety of material from the sing-song quality of the opener to the jabbing passion of the freer tunes. His thematic variations on the title track are stunning.”
- All Music

“Trumpeter Phil Grenadier assembles an all-star modern jazz lineup…Grenadier’s expressive and lyrically charged method of execution comes to fruition…”
– Jazz Review

"The eminence of guitar, Kevin Kastning."

 - JazzPress (UK)

"Kevin's virtuosity goes without saying, but the music is much more than that: innovative, imaginative and introspective and genre defying."

- Dimensions in Sound (Scotland)

"American instrumental music mainstay such as experimental guitarist Kevin Kastning."

- Roots Music Report (US)

"Kevin has long been recognized as a wonderful guitarist ... allows him to move music in directions well outside of the norm."

- Progressor Magazine (Uzbekistan)

"Kevin’s guitarwork is fascinating ... an artist who knows exactly what he wants to achieve and has the skills to do just that."

 - House of Prog (England)

"As a revered guitarist and celebrated acoustic guitar wizard Kastning continues expanding as a guitar phenomenon."

- Mediamusic (US)

"Kevin Kastning, American guitar wizard...."

- Jazz Square magazine; (Russia)

"Kastning is the undisputed king of progressive guitar..."

- Midwest Record (US)

About the Artist

Kevin Kastning is an American guitarist, composer, and musical instrument inventor. He has designed and performs on such instruments as the 36-string Double Contraguitar, 30-string Contra-Alto guitar, 17-string Hybrid Extended Classical guitar, 15-string Extended Classical guitar, the 16-string Contraguitar, the 17-string Contraguitar, 12-string soprano guitar, and 24-string Double Baritone guitar. He has recorded over 50 albums for Greydisc Records and other labels, and his music is featured on radio and media worldwide. He has been featured in such magazines as Guitar Player, Jazziz, The Perfect Sound, Progression, and many more.
Kevin's 2024 album releases were featured on a show dedicated to his music on the radio program "Parallel Universes" in Spain in July 2024.

He is based in Maine.

Artist Website