Customer Reviews

Live At Birdland

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Five HUGE Stars!! The triumvirate of Steve Kuhn, Ron Carter, & Al Foster is caught live at 'Birdland' in a fiery, magnificent performance full of fresh, sparkling, and highly inventive jazz. This is clearly one of piano giant Steve Kuhn's finest recorded performances: a huge statement in light of his decades of stellar performances like "Oceans in the Sky", and going all the way back to his wonderous trio debut "Three Waves" with Steve Swallow and Pete LaRoca. Ron Carter is superb, playing some truly memorable solos, as is Al Foster who lays down melodic, smoking drum solos and support. I saw this particular group live at 'Fat Tuesdays' in New York a decade ago, so this association is long term, and this CD even surpasses that performance. Kuhn & Co also throw down some great 'quotes' that peek around the corners of many of the songs, almost becoming the song at times before vanishing. Trust me, the sound samples from this CD that I've heard around the web don't do justice to the great jazz awaiting the listener on this vividly recorded Blue Note release.

The 'Pieces De Resistance', the best of these great performances, begin with a smoking "Lotus Blossom" that burns from beginning to end with Kuhn's right hand ablaze with invention, while the left hand dishes up some surprises, even for longtime fans. The trusty standard "Stella by Starlight" is completely transformed into a work of high improvisational art that never completely reveals itself, taunting and mesmerizing the listener to the very end. (If you remember "Never Let Me Go" from 'Three Waves', you know the level of artistry this achieves.) Ron Carter lays down one of his best recorded solos here and on his own wonderfully quote-laden "Little Waltz". A quote from "Waltzing Matilda" pops up in a great rendition of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and totally works. The balmy Sergio Mendes/Lani Hall-vocalized classic "Slow Hot Wind" cooks at medium tempo under Carter's walking bass as Kuhn re-constructs it. A splendid "La Plus Que Lente/Passion Flower" is the expected latin-tempo song at which Kuhn excels (note Carter's allusion to Dizzy's "Manteca"). "Two by Two" is a jazzed-up funky blues that simmers and sparkles with a well-placed single-stop and great Kuhn, Carter and Foster solos. At age 69, a fleet, nimble, brilliant Steve Kuhn is still 'heating the cookers' and 'burnishing the ballads' as good as ever before. A 'not to be missed' performance!! My Highest Recommendation! Five HUGE Stars!

(*This review is based on an ITunes digital download of 10 tracks, 75 minutes.
* Trivia: Steve Kuhn was John Coltrane's first pianist at the dawn of Trane's legendary quartets. Kuhn has also played with Stan Getz, Oliver Nelson, Art Farmer, Gary McFarland, Pete LaRoca, Scott LaFaro, Sheila Jordan, Harvie Swartz, and Joe Henderson, among many others.)

If this isn't my very favorite Steve Kuhn album, it's still very stylish, creative and lovely. It's nice to hear these vets together in live setting and Kuhn remains one of the best unheralded players. I
would still go first for his trio albums with David Finck and Billy Drummond (mostly on Reservoir I think), or some of the ECM titles for their 'experimentalism.' This one shows another side though. Very fine stuff.

a light deft touch marks kuhn's style. had me thinking of art tatum and oscar peterson. if i were a bell reminded me of miles' rendition on relaxin' with miles. some other jazz standards, a selection written by kenny dorham, trumpeter, two kuhn originals. one of my favorites, jitterbug waltz by fats waller, has me regretful i was not at birdland the night this was recorded, what a nice night that must had been. and you can't go wrong with al foster and ron carter, little waltz written by carter. a theme of music and flowers, two waltzes, a passion flower and a lotus blossom, in starlight, a slow hot wind blowing. this could be a presumptuous picture in other hands, kuhn, nicely, carries it off.

The 10 tracks were selected by Kuhn as the best from a four-night run at Birdland. The pianist rented a Hamburg-D Steinway (his favorite) for the occasion, and makes it sparkle. As others have indicated, audio quality is outstanding, making you feel like you're sitting in the club. I probably own close to 50 CDs with Ron Carter on bass, but I've never heard him as clearly as on this recording. The music is spontaneous and inventive, and should please just about anyone. Great playing all around by these 3 classy veterans; Kuhn's virtuosity peaks on the final cut --Charlie Parker's Confirmation, a most appropriate selection for this venue.

Great album! It is rare to have such musical genius and recording excellence combine on one CD. Steve Kuhn sounds like - Steve Kuhn and nobody else. Teamed with Ron Carter and Al Foster, the trio creates wonderful chemistry on the best-engineered live performance you will ever hear. Katherine Miller is credited with recording, mixing and mastering the album. If this is an example of her expertise, I am going to start looking for her name in album credits like I used to look for Rudy Van Gelder.

Can't ask more of a trio where every musician is in tune with the other, and more importantly, does not overpower the other; they simply create a harmony to more accurately complete the other player. Great CD. This is the kind of stuff you expect from Oscar Pererton playing with Herb Ellis and Joe Brown, etc.