Steve Kuhn

[B. Goren.]

Which of the Venuses have you heard, Lon? I'm looking for opinions on these:

I can easily recommend both.

[jlhoots]

Which of the Venuses have you heard, Lon? I'm looking for opinions on these:

I can easily recommend both.

Me too.

Slight edge to Love Walked In.

[JPF]

Steve has an interesting sense of humor. At a trio gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA, a few years ago, he announced he was going to play his tune "The Zoo," and would sing some lyrics he had written for it. He warned us it wouldn't be very good singing. He played the tune, sang his whimsical lyrics (he was right, the singing wasn't very good, but it was enjoyable) and then played his solo. At the end of his solo, he segued into a two-chord vamp that sounded really familiar to me; after a few seconds, I realized it was the figure that McCoy Tyner played behind Coltrane as Coltrane chanted, "a love supreme, a love supreme..." He continued to play it for about 30 seconds and then started chanting, "I love the Supremes, I love the Supremes." I cracked up and when I looked around, just about no one had gotten it. There were just a lot of puzzled looks.

So much for those musically sophisticated Boston audiences.

[Chas]

Steve has an interesting sense of humor. At a trio gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA, a few years ago, he announced he was going to play his tune "The Zoo," and would sing some lyrics he had written for it. He warned us it wouldn't be very good singing. He played the tune, sang his whimsical lyrics (he was right, the singing wasn't very good, but it was enjoyable) and then played his solo.

That sense of humor is not on display on the recordings I cited . The Zoo ( Pearlie's Swine on the Buddah recording ) excepted , the rest of his vocalizing is anything but humorous . A poor singing voice can be forgiven if the aim is jocularity and whimsy , but on those early 70's records both Kuhn and his lyrics are off-puttingly earnest :

" Parts of me just ache and cry I know that feeling just because this moment of my lifetime has become the hardest thing I've had to face as the walls all around my life , all around the years , very special years fall apart

Time to run away as far away as worlds of empty colors show the sadness in my longing for so much , so many things I'll never know , not now

Time to go as fast as all the years went by me waiting for tomorrow's sun to tell me why... "

[RDK]

Steve has an interesting sense of humor. At a trio gig at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA, a few years ago, he announced he was going to play his tune "The Zoo," and would sing some lyrics he had written for it. He warned us it wouldn't be very good singing. He played the tune, sang his whimsical lyrics (he was right, the singing wasn't very good, but it was enjoyable) and then played his solo.

That sense of humor is not on display on the recordings I cited . The Zoo ( Pearlie's Swine on the Buddah recording ) excepted , the rest of his vocalizing is anything but humorous . A poor singing voice can be forgiven if the aim is jocularity and whimsy , but on those early 70's records both Kuhn and his lyrics are off-puttingly earnest :

" Parts of me just ache and cry I know that feeling just because this moment of my lifetime has become the hardest thing I've had to face as the walls all around my life , all around the years , very special years fall apart

Time to run away as far away as worlds of empty colors show the sadness in my longing for so much , so many things I'll never know , not now

Time to go as fast as all the years went by me waiting for tomorrow's sun to tell me why... "

Yeah, I just downloaded his self-titled Budha album from '72 (with McFarland), gave it a listen, and it's not very good.

[Chuck Nessa]

He always has nice hair and cool glasses.

[Tom Storer]

" Parts of me just ache and cry I know that feeling just because this moment of my lifetime has become the hardest thing I've had to face as the walls all around my life , all around the years , very special years fall apart

Time to run away as far away as worlds of empty colors show the sadness in my longing for so much , so many things I'll never know , not now

Time to go as fast as all the years went by me waiting for tomorrow's sun to tell me why... "

Those lyrics sound great when Sheila Jordan sings them on their studio ECM album, "Playground." Seriously. She also does "The Zoo." That's a fantastic record.

[king ubu]

The new ECM 3CD set (including "Playground" to which - as a big fan of Ms. Jordan's - I look forward to particularly) is on my x-mas wishlist now

[six string]

I only have two Kuhn albums, Trance (ECM) on lp and Years Later (Concord) on cd. They are both recommended.

[Guest Bill Barton]

Here's another hearty recommendation for the Live at Birdland set which was among my favorite 2007 releases.

[fomafomic65]

" Parts of me just ache and cry I know that feeling just because this moment of my lifetime has become the hardest thing I've had to face as the walls all around my life , all around the years , very special years fall apart

Time to run away as far away as worlds of empty colors show the sadness in my longing for so much , so many things I'll never know , not now

Time to go as fast as all the years went by me waiting for tomorrow's sun to tell me why... "

Those lyrics sound great when Sheila Jordan sings them on their studio ECM album, "Playground." Seriously. She also does "The Zoo." That's a fantastic record.

Agree. Sheila souds magnificient even reading a shopping list -or whatever, as Getz was told.

A pure musician with an unique musical skill

[Van Basten II]

The new ECM 3CD set (including "Playground" to which - as a big fan of Ms. Jordan's - I look forward to particularly) is on my x-mas wishlist now

Found it recently, , listening to the CD that worried me the most in the set, the one with Sheila Jordan and enjoying it, highly recommended.

[kh1958]

It's an overused word, but I do think that "underrated' is the right way to describe Steve Kuhn.

You rarely hear his name mentioned when top level living jazz pianists are discussed, but I believe he belongs in that group. Some of his recordings such as the things on ECM are not to my taste, but most of his recordings for other labels are top quality jazz.

His two trio CDs on Concord (Years Later" and "Looking Back") with David Finck and Lewis Nash are first rate. The three fine CDs on Reservoir ("Dedication" and "Countdown" and "The Best Things") have Billy Drummond in place of Nash along with Finck. I have six Steve Kuhn trio CDs on the Venus label and they are all winners. His Venus recordings may be my favorites though it's hard to select just one or two favorites as the quality level is so high throughout all of them.

Peter Friedman

I saw his trio with David Finck and Billy Drummond at the Kitano a couple of years ago--he performed a mixture of standards and his originals--I especially liked the originals.

[7/4]

Listening to Promises Kept, Steve Kuhn with strings...digging it.

[Milestones]

Just came upon this thread.

No discussion of Mostly Coltrane on ECM? This is a great set with Joe Lovano (on most tracks), and the group mainly plays Coltrane tunes and pieces associated with him--but some originals too. Marvelous record. I remember reviews noting that Kuhn sounds nothing Tyner; I would concur.

[7/4]

Just came upon this thread.

No discussion of Mostly Coltrane on ECM? This is a great set with Joe Lovano (on most tracks), and the group mainly plays Coltrane tunes and pieces associated with him--but some originals too. Marvelous record. I remember reviews noting that Kuhn sounds nothing Tyner; I would concur.

I heard that one quite a few times in the last few months...a real favorite.

[Guy Berger]

Just came upon this thread.

No discussion of Mostly Coltrane on ECM? This is a great set with Joe Lovano (on most tracks), and the group mainly plays Coltrane tunes and pieces associated with him--but some originals too. Marvelous record. I remember reviews noting that Kuhn sounds nothing Tyner; I would concur.

Yes, this is an excellent record.

[corto maltese]

Not yet mentioned, I think, is his late 60s work in Europe, where he recorded "Watch what happens" for MPS with Palle Danielsson and Jon Christensen (they look very young on the cover) and "Childhood is forever" for BYG, which has a lousy cover but another great rhythm section (Steve Swallow and Aldo Romano).

Besides, he would be one of my favourite pianists if for nothing else than his work with Karin Krog.

[paul secor]

Kuhn's trio is backing Sheila Jordan at Birdland this week.