This reissue of a 1986 live Steve Kuhn set from the Village Vanguard is a stunning demonstration of the pianist’s abilities. With intelligence, passion, wit and more, Kuhn has fashioned a brilliant set of music that underlines the power of his trio with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster and builds a narrative the completion of which is an artistic marvel.

Kuhn, Carter and Foster are an ideal trio: each player deftly and supportively complements the work of the others. Kuhn’s ideas are fluid and both delicately sensitive to the needs of every musical moment.

The selection of tunes and the progression they form is exceptional: three strikingly different Kuhn originals; a glorious take on Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz”; “Yesterday’s Gardenias”, a popular tune for Glenn Miller and his Orchestra; the ballad favorite “Never Let Me Go”; a rare Hoagy Carmichael number, “Little Old Lady”, and the Romberg-Hammerstein chestnut “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise”.

Kuhn has great technique and his choice of the Carmichael tune as an opener gets the set off to a dynamic start, the trio in powerhouse mode but never losing the charm of the original melody. The most dazzling interpretation is of “Jitterbug Waltz”, beginning ever so delicately with Kuhn lightly tickling the famous theme. Carter is up first as a soloist and he is both dextrous and ever so soulful, Kuhn then slowly barrels in with a sense of old jazz world and blues.

The originals are just as compelling, none more than “Ulla/Trance”, which opens as a melancholy waltz and morphs into something darker, a kind of trance in which the time becomes more hypnotic. And, speaking of hypnotic, “Mr. Calypso Kuhn” grows in power and pulse, with Carter and Foster laying down a moveable carpet of island groove.

Life’s Magic is one of the finest live recordings made at the Vanguard – and consider what constitutes that list – retaining, to quote Kuhn, its “freshness and vitality”, almost 30 years later.

(July 29, 2012 – Foix, France) Pianist Steve Kuhn was awarded the Prix Gabriel Fauré in Foix, France, on July 29^th, following a warmly received concert performed by his trio, with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Billy Drummond. The concert was also filmed for the French television channel Mezzo.

The rare award, which has only been bestowed twice, was last given over a decade ago to pianist Sir Roland Hanna.  Last week, upon its presentation by festival president Eric Baudeigne, a surprised and visibly moved Kuhn thanked both the festival and the evening’s audience.  Serendipitously, Kuhn had moments before performed Ravel’s Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte, and incidentally Ravel was Fauré’s student at the Conservatoire de Paris. Kuhn has recorded both Ravel’s Pavane as well as Fauré’s work of the same name.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was born and raised about 20 kms from Foix, in nearby Pamiers, and is therefore a fitting namesake for the prestigious prize, reserved for musicians deemed deserving for their interpretive skills as well as their original compositions.

Steve Kuhn’s most recent recording is Wisteria (2012; ECM), of which The Guardian’s John Fordham had this to say: “Veteran pianist Steve Kuhn is in the same class as label-mate Keith Jarrett: a virtuoso improviser who injects new life into familiar material. Kuhn’s sophistication with harmony and delicacy of touch are in evidence throughout this session, shared with electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron.”

Enquiries: lunched@me.com

Related Media:
Jazz Magazine (France) : http://bit.ly/PKEtCD
La Depeche (France): http://bit.ly/PKFtqo
Steve Kuhn Links:
www.stevekuhnmusic.com (official artist website)
ECM Records: www.ecmrecords.com
Lunched Management & Booking: www.lunchedrecords.com

Accompanied by longtime bassist David Finck, along with drummer Joey Baron and saxophonist Joe Lovano, Kuhn has put together a fitting, balanced tribute that touches on practically every facet of Coltrane’s career. He guides the group through versions of songs that he played during his time with the saxophonist, such as “I Want To Talk About You”, “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes” and “Central Park West”, a lesser known song in the Trane songbook, but one that is also familiar to Lovano who also covered it on his From The Soul album back in 1992.

“Welcome” begins with a brief but sublime piano introduction before Lovano’s warm and rich tenor glides effortlessly into the mix, taking the composition into the main theme. He briefly drops out to allow Kuhn to take a short solo, before returning with a crisp and peaceful sounding solo which floats lightly overtop Baron’s delicate brush stokes. This track imparts such a peaceful feeling that it subsequently sets the tone for the rest of what’s to come. They get inside the music to really invoke the spirit of the master, especially when they interpret some of the more transcendent compositions from Coltrane’s back catalogue like “Song Of Praise”, “Crescent” and “Spiritual”. This sentiment is also maintained on Kuhn’s two original compositions, “With Gratitude”, which is a solo piano piece, and the album’s final song “Trance”. What’s also interesting about Mostly Coltrane is Kuhn’s decision to tackle two songs from one of Trane’s last sessions before his death in 1967. “Configuration” and “Jimmy’s Mode” represent the final stage of his career, which at the time saw him pushing the sonic envelope even further into the realm of the dissonant avant-garde. That being said, out of the two original compositions “Configuration” was more of a barnburner. Although not as intense as the original, this version does allow Lovano to turn it up a notch.

Mostly Coltrane is an absolute gem from beginning to end, and although I’ve heard plenty of versions of Trane’s music over the years, I can honestly say few compare to what’s offered here. Steve Kuhn definitely selected the right musicians ( especially with regards to Lovano) to respectfully interpret this music, because the obvious chemistry that exists between these seasoned players definitely produced some truly magical results. Even after repeated listens the music takes you to a different place each time. I can’t help but think that somewhere up there amongst the stars the master must be smiling.

Track Listing

1. Welcome
2. Song Of Praise
3. Crescent
4. I Want To Talk About You
5. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
6. Living Space
7. Central Park West
8. Like Sonny
9. With Gratitude
10. Configuration
11. Jimmy’s Mode
12. Spiritual
13. Trance

Added: November 4th 2009
Reviewer: Ryan Sparks
Score: 4.5 stars
Related Link: ECM
Hits: 23
Language: english

Once a sideman for John Coltrane and protégé of Bill Evans, pianist Steve Kuhn has been a virtuosic performer since his first gigs around Boston in his early teens. His lengthy and distinguished discography as well as collaborations with Kenny Dorham, Stan Getz, Art Farmer and Steve Swallow notwithstanding, he remains somewhat under the radar in the U.S. His long affiliation with ECM Records may account for his popularity in Europe, but his talent alone should be sufficient on this side of the Atlantic. Mostly Coltrane, his new release with working trio mates David Finck and Joey Baron and special guest Joe Lovano, pays homage to his eight-week run with the late sax legend in early 1960.

Unlike much of Kuhn’s ECM output of largely original repertoire, Mostly Coltrane is, indeed, mostly Coltrane, and a set that extends well beyond the brief period of Kuhn’s affiliation. The seeds of the recording came from an annual series of birthday salutes to Coltrane, led by Lovano over the past five or so years at Birdland, featuring Coltrane’s early 60s Atlantic repertoire as well as his late, more experimental period. But the more direct impetus was an appearance of the Steve Kuhn Trio at the 2008 Baltica Festival in Salzau in Northern Germany, where Lovano was artist in residence. “So they arranged that the trio would do a concert by itself, and then there would be a concert with Joe that would feature essentially the music of John Coltrane. That’s the genesis of that particular quartet,” explained Kuhn in an interview for Jazz.com. ECM producer Manfred Eicher recognized the opportunity, and ultimately brought the quartet into the studio in New York in December 2008. In addition to the nine Coltrane compositions, the recording includes two pieces Kuhn played with Coltrane (“I Want To Talk About You” and “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes”), and two written by the pianist, a spontaneous tribute (“In Gratitude”) and an earlier tune, “Trance.”

Tribute albums often fall into the easy trap of imitation, yet that never seems to be an issue for Steve Kuhn. Until the Birdland sessions, he had played very little of Coltrane’s music over his career after those remarkable eight weeks in 1960. Notes Kuhn, 71, “I worked with John in 1960, almost fifty years ago, and although his influence carries over to this day, and always will, of course, there really was no conscious effort to emulate… It’s just the way it came out…Joe Lovano is obviously influenced by John, but also he plays the way he plays… I’ve played these pieces at Birdland for the last five or six years, and I play them the way I play them, with whatever voice I have. I’m interested in what he wrote, but the curiosity pretty much ends there. I think what I recorded is reflective of John, of course, but it’s also reflective of what I am doing these days.” It’s this attitude that makes this not only an atypical tribute-to-a-legend album, but a uniquely personal interpretation. Kuhn only sounds like Kuhn, Lovano only like Lovano, even to the degree that he sticks with tenor rather than switching to Coltrane’s choice, the soprano, save one track where Lovano uses the Hungarian reed, the taragato.

Like another who has uniquely interpreted Coltrane, pianist Marilyn Crispell, Steve Kuhn can create stunning music with a mere single line, as he does in introducing the opening “Welcome.” It could not be more welcoming as Lovano joins in with his own ethereal phrasing over subtle bass and drum accompaniment. Kuhn then weaves a magical verse, setting the stage for the sweet interaction with Lovano that follows. It’s an opening prayer for a mystical suite.

“Song of Praise” adds layers and raises the tempo, Kuhn’s off-kilter passages giving Lovano a launching pad for this incantation (first recorded on Coltrane’s 1962 Live at the Village Vanguard). The trio swings under Kuhn’s ebullient interpretation-his touch and articulation might whisper Evans, his harmonic imagination might hint at Tyner (even at times suggesting at least two pianists on the loose), but there’s an abstract complexity that denies the former, a softer attack that refutes the latter. Lovano sustains a melodic undercurrent, not Coltrane’s “sheets of sound” but his own twisty modal explorations. With Finck’s assertive counterpoint and Baron’s storm and splash, it all merges into a glorious recitation.

One of the most familiar Coltrane compositions on this recording, “Crescent” starts out with Kuhn’s chiming introduction in support of Lovano’s mournful tenor. The pianist’s exquisite passion slides over a similarly reverent Baron, a delicate song without words. With hollow mallets pounding, the drummer rises higher in accompanying Lovano, two soloists in tandem. Kuhn introduces “Living Space,” yielding to Lovano to worship at the alter of Coltrane as the service is constructed by the trio. Finck’s dark tones create an undertwo of awe, while Baron’s turbulence adds a sacred tension. “Central Park West” is one of Coltrane’s most lyrical compositions, here a stunning piano/sax duet. Relatively brief at under four minutes, the track is long enough to showcase two imaginative artists who display as much reverence for each other as for their muse. (What about an all-duet album?)

Finck leads into the swirling delight of “Like Sonny,” suggestive of Middle Eastern markets and shifting sands. Lovano’s agility plays well against Baron’s often subtle, sometimes brightly assertive percussion. Kuhn’s lively solo is mirrored by Finck’s upbeat, extended statement. Sounding decades removed, (dating from 1967), Coltrane’s fiery “Configuration” starts with Baron soloing aggressively, soon joined by Lovano at his most abstract and exploratory, the duel pushed further by Kuhn’s sweeping ascents of dissonance. Baron finishes the experiment with one of his few explosive moments. From Stellar Regions, “Jimmy’s Mode” finds Lovano paying tribute to Coltrane without releasing his tether on form. Finck’s solo provides a fitting prelude to Kuhn’s “interstellar” journey, while Baron paints in translucent watercolor. Lovano returns, singing high praise as Kuhn retreats with deepest bass notes. The soprano-like pitch of Lovano’s taragato flavors “Spiritual” with a wistful soul-searching, Kuhn adding some of his most assertive musings. While a thumpy Baron takes no prisoners, Lovano’s second solo segment is triumphant, assured of its destination.

Of the two standards, Billy Eckstine’s “I Want to Talk About You” features Kuhn’s gentle, cleanly articulated phrases, Baron’s cymbals rising and receding like an ocean tide, while Finck provides an elegant pulse. This ballad highlights the sympathetic collaboration among Kuhn’s trio, as Lovano sits this one out; surely he enjoyed just listening. “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” starts with an abstract conversation between Finck and Kuhn that soon dissolves into the familiar film theme, the pianist’s jaggedy rhythm and uptempo engaging Finck and Baron in another trio tour de force before Lovano joins the frey halfway in. And it is a grand and boisterous entry, an exhibition of the saxophonist’s more straight-ahead flights of fancy and slippery gymnastics. Kuhn seems particularly inspired here, dancing around, over and under Lovano’s lines, swinging all the way.

Two solo compositions from Steve Kuhn complete the set and provide “new and old dreams.” “With Gratitude” was improvised in the studio, its rich and mildly dissonant harmonies presented in a gracefully linear homage that grows in complexity over its three-plus minutes. The closing “Trance” is a reconsideration of Kuhn’s 1975 ECM title track. A Chopinesque tapestry, silken threads are woven and braided; strings, harp, and woodwinds are all expressed through the keyboard. The most definitive melody emerges late before dissolving in a shimmery, delicate finish.

Alone, in trio, or in quartet with a collaborative soulmate such as Joe Lovano, Steve Kuhn manages a tribute eloquently befitting John Coltrane without losing the unique musicianship that has informed his long career. While his brief stint with Coltrane provided the material and inspiration for Mostly Coltrane, this new release is nevertheless “Mostly Kuhn,” further gilded by the partnership with Lovano, Finck and Baron. One can hope that this quartet will seek other opportunities to come together.

Steve Kuhn’s stunning new disc Mostly Coltrane opens with the master pianist starkly stating the theme to John Coltrane’s “Welcome.” Like church bells ringing out across a town square, Kuhn’s plaintive, single-note melodic call is the perfect beginning to an album full of serenity and surprise. As the original pianist in the Coltrane Quartet, Kuhn has a perspective on ‘Trane’s repertoire that few others possess. Here, accompanied sympathetically by saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist David Finck, and drummer Joey Baron, Kuhn breathes new life into familiar tunes. On “Crescent,” his assured touch and orchestral use of the piano impart the music with a cinematic sense of drama. And on “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes,” his dynamic comping and motifically-charged solos lift Lovano and company to new heights. Coltrane would approve.

Mostly Coltrane, pianist Steve Kuhn’s recent nod to his ex-employer’s sublime book, manages to glisten with spirit while throwing some punches. In July, he and Joe Lovano kicked a one-nighter at this club, bringing plenty of physicality to their genuflection. Kuhn’s boppish nature was way up front, and the saxophonist waxed incisive on tunes that stretched from romantic to rowdy. Four more evening’s worth of action should turn rumbles such as “Configuration” and prayers like “Welcome” toward some kind of enraptured zenith, a place where Coltrane himself was always headed.

]]> http://stevekuhnmusic.com/2009/09/the-jazz-session-interview-with-steve-kuhn/feed/ 0 http://stevekuhnmusic.com/2009/08/steve-kuhn-trio-with-joe-lovano-mostly-coltrane/ http://stevekuhnmusic.com/2009/08/steve-kuhn-trio-with-joe-lovano-mostly-coltrane/#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:28:31 +0000 jazzcorner http://stevekuhnmusic.com/cms/?p=198 by Cathy Gruenfelder

“In January, February and March of 1960, I was privileged to work with John Coltrane at the Jazz Gallery in New York City. I will always cherish those eight weeks. This music reflects my deep respect for him,” writes Steve Kuhn. From the very first notes he plays on the opener, “Welcome,” you can feel the eulogistic spirit in his touch. ‘Welcome’ seems more like ‘goodbye.’ In December of 2008, Kuhn and his trio with David Finck and Joey Baron teemed up with Joe Lovano at Avatar Studios in NYC to record a CD of ten tunes that Coltrane either wrote or made legendary and two Kuhn originals. It is nice to have a Coltrane tribute record where the tenor player is not a Coltrane disciple. Lovano has definitely incorporated an influence of Coltrane into his sound, but it is only one of many elements to what is a very distinct sound of his own. On this record, you will not find anyone trying to re-create anything.

The opener, “Welcome,” originally appeared on Coltrane’s record Transition from 1965 and it has a strikingly beautiful melody. It is treated like a precious flower, with the utmost delicacy by these veteran musicians. Lovano and Kuhn play with a peaceful and serene affection, and Baron and Finck simply accentuate the efforts of the soloists, creating textures and making exclamation points, allowing the rubato tempo to be controlled by Lovano and Kuhn. When the tune finished, I felt like I had just finished meditating.

Things get a little darker with “Song of Praise.” The tune begins with an unsettling introduction from Kuhn before Lovano states the deep minor melody. Joey Baron reaches a climax of drum effects before suddenly dropping into a swing groove as the solo section begins. Kuhn’s solo is as rich as can be, full of tension and release, and superimposing different time signatures over the 4/4 structure. Finck is on his every move, seeming to almost think along with him-great ears. When Lovano begins his solo, Kuhn lays out. Lovano then gets back into to melody as Kuhn creates un-structured textures behind him and Baron builds to a climax.

“Crescent” also begins with a beautiful introduction from Kuhn. His touch and harmonic sensibilities make your eye lids droop in a sort of ecstatic sense of calm. Lovano plays the song with love and care, and the abandon that love requires to truly be expressed. Baron is playful and adventurous.

The band continues with their gentle and meditative exploration of Coltrane’s music with the ballad “I Want To Talk About You.” It becomes very clear on this tune, perhaps because Lovano isn’t playing on it, that Kuhn is approaching this project from a deeper place than trying to give tribute to the sound and style of Coltrane. You can feel the dedication to the man and his spirit. Kuhn plays with a gorgeous melodicism and a very open but acute sense of time.

Things really brighten up with an up-tempo version of “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.” The band plays it with a very straight forward and up-lifting sense of harmony, and they swing their tails off. Toward the end of the tune, Kuhn and Lovano improvise together and push each other on before going back into the head.

Making a stark contrast to the previous tune is “Living Space,” the title track of Coltrane’s 1965 release. It is a searching and free modal piece with an evolving sense of tempo. Lovano and Kuhn play off each other beautifully and Baron creates weather patterns with the drums-alternately thunderous, oceanic or clear and breezy.

“Central Park West” is played as a duo between Lovano and Kuhn. The two play the tune with such ease and freedom. Lovano’s playing is completely reflexive, yet he is always allowing himself to truly be confronted by the call to action that each moment brings, so his reflexes are always extremely active-his virtuosity, spontaneity and personality are an incredible combination.

“Like Sonny” is given a Latin tinged treatment and Kuhn really shines on this one with his hand independence, and the way his hands interact. Finck takes a very tasty solo. The first of the two Kuhn originals is “With Gratitude,” which he plays solo. Through it, he tells an incredibly rich and profound story of love, loss, life and death. It has the quality of seeming to be composed and improvised at the same time.

“Configuration” is approached with complete freedom and abandon, and Baron and Lovano jump on the opportunity. After a minute or so, Kuhn joins the action with equal intensity. At Lovano’s free-est moments, there is almost a primitive flamboyance, but there is always a sense of joy in his playing. I will only make a comparison because this is a tribute album, but Coltrane’s playing is much darker.

The group approaches “Spiritual” in a free context for the first two minutes, before settling into a classic Jones/Coltrane/Garrison/Tyner sense of swing. Lovano plays a tarogato on this tune, which has a sound somewhere in between a soprano sax and a clarinet. Kuhn takes a very innovative and varied solo with one incredible idea after another. Baron’s drumming really has that classic Elvin Jones vibe, with its rolling explosions of rhythm. The album ends with another incredibly personal solo original from Kuhn entitled “Trance.”

What is most wonderful about this album is that each player fully asserts their own identity, yet in reverence to John Coltrane. They are not playing like him or imitating the music and interplay of his great bands, but they are playing for him and in tribute to the spirit of the man and his music. You can feel the love and gratitude emanating from the speakers.