Artist: Houston Person
     Album: Thinking of You
     Year: 2007
     Label: Highnote
     Genre: Jazz
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kb/s
     Time: 0:55:38
     Size: 130,4 MB

   

Houston Person's recent recordings have seen him removed from the soul-jazz he built a reputation on in his early days, and gravitate toward a refined balladic sound that identifies his older/wiser/mellow persona. For this date, he uses groups varying in size from duo to quartet and sextet, which does mix things up a bit, but keeps Person on the leaner side of mainstream jazz. Not that all the music is laid-back; in fact, two numbers -- the title track and "Sing" -- display a more animated, playful Person on his trusty tenor saxophone. It is his sidemen -- trumpeter Eddie Allen, pianist John Di Martino, and guitarist James Chirillo -- who light coolly burning embers under Person's posterior. Allen in particular is woefully underappreciated, but shows up here on the four larger ensemble selections, working well in tandem alongside Person on the Benny Carter-written Count Basie-like easy blues swinger "Rock Me to Sleep," laying back on "Sing" until the second chorus while Person plays the main melody, and playing in bossa-trimmed lockstep with the leader on the pleasant "Brazilian Emerald." One wishes to hear more from Allen, always. Di Martino is a delight no matter the context, his highlights being his chiming piano accenting "Emerald" and the beautiful serenity of the original instrumental 1926 chart of "Avant de Mourir" with Person in duet. Chirillo is a flexible guitarist, whether simpatico with Di Martino on the pensive ballad-to-light-bossa version of the pop tune "People," providing an edgy Larry Coryell-ish Texas blues flavor on "Black Coffee," or in duet with Person on an at-length discourse during a medley of Nat King Cole tunes that ends the recording. Person, one of the more consistent jazz performers over the past few decades, is reliable primarily for his soft soul, which holds him and his fans in good stead. This CD is no less enjoyable than many others he has recently released, and is easily recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos, AMG

  Artist: Steve Kuhn
  Album: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 13
  Label: Concord Jazz
  Release: 1990
  Style: Post-Bop
  Format mp3, bitrate: 256 kb/s vbr
  Time: 52:22
  Size: 66,2 Mb (cover)
  AMG Rating:

Steve Kuhn is generally not thought of as a solo pianist because he has rarely recorded in that format, but this 1990 concert at Maybeck Recital Hall is one of his most memorable releases. "Old Folks" is a chestnut favored by a lot of swing and bop pianists, but Kuhn's unique approach to it explores a larger range of the keyboard than most players, while powering it with a striding bassline that alternates a lot more than one would expect. He has a lot of fun introducing Miles Davis' "Solar," at first playing around with what sounds like a Scottish dirge and sneaking into a bit of the song while giving it an Oriental flavor, before getting down to business. Both "I Remember You" and "Autumn in New York" are long but fascinating interpretations, as the pianist deconstructs and rebuilds each of them with very fresh approaches. This very satisfying concert CD is well-worth acquiring. - Ken Dryden at AMG

    Artist: Steve Kuhn & Steve Swallow
    Album: Live In Japan 2 cd
    Label: 3D Records - Japan
    Year: 1986
    Release: 1994/2004
    Style: Post-Bop
    Format mp3, bitrate: 192 kb/s
    Time: 1:46:01
    Size: 149 Mb
    Bubu's Rating:

An absolutely astonishing date taken from the vaults, more than a decade after it took place, from this long lasting duo 1986 Japan tour, that sounds here more like a trio. Swallow plays here not only as a accompanist but as a soloist too.
The choice of playlist makes a continuous duality between famous standards and original compositions. Highly recommended to all piano jazz lovers.

     Artist: Jack Teagarden and his Sixtet
     Album: Mis'ry And The Blues
     Year: rec.June 18-22, 1961/rel. 2006
     Label: Verve
     Format: MP3@320 Kb/s
     Time: 39:56
     Size: 91.83 Mb
     AMG rating:

     

    Artist: Steve Kuhn with Strings
    Album: Promises Kept
    Label: ECM
    Release: 2004
    Style: Modern Creative
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320
    Time: 58:15
    Size: 153 Mb (cover)
   

The lineup on Promises Kept says it all: Steve Kuhn with strings. Kuhn is a jazz pianist whose recordings may have been out of the jazz mainstream for most of the five decades his career has spanned, but it hardly matters. Kuhn's style is signature, though his explorations have taken him to many different terrains in the world of jazz, from knotty post-bop to pointillism and modalism and through the nefarious world of 20th century vanguard composition to the place where listeners find him now: the place of a supreme and unabashed lyricism that is as sophisticated and forward-looking as it is historical and inclusive. Bassist David Finck is also present here; his trademark loping style has been a fixture on Kuhn's recordings since 1986. Conducted and orchestrated by Carlos Franzetti, this 15-piece string orchestra offers a lush yet poignant collaborative sphere for Kuhn to work his considerable harmonic magic. Kuhn composed all ten pieces. Some are well-known items in his oeuvre; others were written specifically for this recording. They vary in range, mood, texture, and depth of field....