Wisteria

Steve Kuhn, Steve Swallow & Joey Baron

â„– of discs
1
Stock Status (?)
In Stock
Delivery Estimate
2-5 days
Genre
Jazz
Label
ECM
Released
April 30, 2012

Format: Compact Disc

£8.00

 

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Description

Wisdom and wistfulness are intertwined in Wisteria, whose title track, written by Art Farmer, takes listeners back to the early 1960s, when both pianist Steve Kuhn and bassist Steve Swallow sang softly of the blues in the trumpeter-flugelhornist's band. The pair know each other's playing well: in accord at a very high level, they develop their improvisational ideas together and share the same love of melody.

This new album takes a fresh look at several pieces heard in Kuhn's orchestral Promises Kept collection - his robust and adaptable compositions have often lent themselves to quite different interpretations - but alongside the aching balladry there is also some driving hard bop (on 'A Likely Story'), a brace of Swallow tunes ('Dark Glasses'), Carla Bley's gospel-tinged 'Permanent Wave' and the Brazilian 'Romance' by Dori Caymmi.

In all, it's a varied programme that the trio seems to sail through effortlessly, master musicians beyond the need to prove anything, creating the agreeable illusion that this demanding music is playing itself.

Early on Steve Kuhn moved in exceptional company, playing with Chet Baker and Coleman Hawkins, and then in a band with Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry. Briefly and famously, he was the first pianist of the John Coltrane Quartet and later worked with Stan Getz in a line-up with Scott LaFaro. At the end of the 1960s, Kuhn spent four years living in Europe, mostly in Scandinavia, but it was not until his return to the United States that he began his affiliation with ECM, resulting in a string of important albums. Three were reprised in the 2008 box set Life's Backward Glances: the solo album Ecstasy, and the quartet discs Motility and Playground (the latter with singer Sheila Jordan).

Personnel: Steve Kuhn (piano), Steve Swallow (bass), Joey Baron (drums)

Press Quotes

(4 stars) Veteran pianist Steve Kuhn is in the same class as label-mate Keith Jarrett: a virtuoso improviser who injects new life into familiar material.

The Guardian, (John Fordham), April 27, 2012

(4 stars) It's Swallow's nimble electric bass, woven into Kuhn's mellifluously imaginative pianism, that adds a perky charm to the proceedings...the usual ECM sonic excellence applies.

BBC Music Magazine, (Roger Thomas), June 2012

(4 stars) What emerges is a still untroubled way with a tune and a buoyancy of touch that seems to keep it airborne with ornamental diversity.

Jazz Journal, (Nigel Jarrett), July 2012

Kuhn's absolutely at ease with his instrument, and with not showing off his technique but simply playing beautiful music and creating considerable freshness. In this he's hugely assisted by the subtle work of Baron and Swallow.

Jazzwise, (Brian Priestley), July 2012

Accomplished, crisp and cool recording...Kuhn chooses to revisit material he has recorded before in other settings, and they come up sounding freshly reinvigorated...three masters at work.

The List, (Kenny Mathieson), May 22, 2012

Strong melodies, firm structures and a fine-tuned empathy...Their first outing as a unit is impeccable, with each fine-voiced variation and well-tuned line having exactly the right rhythmic emphasis.

Financial Times, (Mike Hobart), May 12, 2012

The musicians gel together very comfortably...they're beautifully balanced, clearly recorded and with a satisfying mix of moods and tempos.

Northern Echo, (Peter Bevan), May 31, 2012

More Info

Key Value
Catalogue number 2794578
Barcode 0602527945781
Number of items 1
Packaging type Jewel Case
Imported No
Weight 120g
Dimensions (LxWxH) 143mm x 11mm x 128mm

Disc 1

Track Listing — Disc 1

Song Title Time
1. Chalet 06:23
2. Adagio 07:03
3. Morning Dew 06:33
4. Romance 04:27
5. Permanent Wave 06:36
6. A Likely Story 06:43
7. Pastorale 06:15
8. Wisteria 05:47
9. Dark Glasses 05:52
10. Promises Kept 05:31
11. Good Lookin' Rookie 05:50

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