Dirk Quinn Band

Who Are They?

The Dirk Quinn Band are a Philadelphia instrumental group playing high-energy jazz-funk, led by guitarist Dirk Quinn. No singer, no vocals, just tight heads, deep grooves, and a lot of improvisation.

Quinn came up on classic rock and then fell hard for the wild fusion of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the bass-heavy weirdness of Primus, and you can hear both in his playing: technical, adventurous, and fun. The band's whole trick is landing somewhere the jam-band crowd and the jazz crowd can both love.

They tour relentlessly across the US and Canada, and have shared stages with the heavyweights of the funk-jazz world: Soulive, Lettuce, The New Mastersounds, and Umphrey's McGee among them.

The Story

No hits, no gimmicks, just a guitarist and a band that outwork almost everyone.

1. 2008

   QuinnTet

   An early record that lays out the band's instrumental jazz-funk approach.

2. 2012

   Live at Home

   A live album pulled from five shows around Philadelphia, capturing the band where it lives: on stage, stretching out.

3. 2018

   Infinite Game

   A sharp studio set of originals, and a great snapshot of the band's tight-but-loose writing.

4. 2021

   The Milton

   A confident, groove-forward record that shows the band firing on all cylinders.

5. 2024

   A double year

   Two albums, Another Day in the Ether and the Abbey Road tribute Scabby Toad, proof of a band that never stops working.

Start Here

One tune and two full live sets. This is a live, improvising band, so lean into the long ones.

The Albums 5 to start with

All-instrumental, all groove. Start with these five.

Playlists

One curated YouTube Music playlist of Dirk Quinn Band essentials, all instrumental groove.

The Band

A guitarist and a rotating cast of top Philadelphia players, built for improvisation.

• Dirk QuinnGuitarThe leader, composer, and lead voice; a technical, adventurous player raised on fusion and classic rock
• KeysOrgan / RhodesThe harmonic bed the improvisation floats on, in the great jazz-funk organ tradition
• Bass & DrumsRhythm SectionThe deep, elastic pocket that lets the band stretch a groove as far as it wants to go
• HornsWhen It Calls For ItThe Memphis-and-New-Orleans brass punch the band brings in to fatten the sound

Influences

Dirk Quinn's own path runs from fusion fireworks to deep jazz-funk. Here is the family tree.

Interviews

The Dirk Quinn Band lets the playing do the talking, so there is more live footage than sit-down press. The best window in is the live show itself.

Going Deeper

A few directions once the grooves have you.

• The long sets. Full live shows are the real Dirk Quinn Band; a festival like Front Porch Fest is a perfect setting.
• The scene. Follow the thread to the funk-jazz world of Soulive, Lettuce, and The New Mastersounds.
• The fusion roots. Trace Quinn's own path back to the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the jazz-rock explosion.
• The Abbey Road tribute. Scabby Toad is a fun, impressive full-instrumental take on a classic.

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