We continue to get comments on the news that pianist Steve Kuhn will record for Blue Note. This one is from drummer Steve Grover in Farmingdale, Maine.
I enjoy Rifftides and I was pleased to see that some attention is being directed toward Steve Kuhn. I think he is one of the most intelligent jazz pianists of our time (or any time). Steve occasionally comes through New England, and I caught him a couple of times. One trio performance with George Mraz and Al Foster stands out. The club was about half full, but the subtle, witty and quote-laden interplay between the three musicians was sublime. I hesitate to bring up the quoting, which is a gratuitous practice in most hands, but Steve unfolds his improvisations with such wit, melody and musicality that quotes are a seemless part of the web. His time is impeccable and he is always engaged with the tendencies of his musicians. The term ‘musical conversation’ is a common phrase, but rarely have I heard such probing music that clearly defined that expression.
Yet I heard him with Kenny Washington a few years later at The Knickerbocker one night and he was playing deep in the pocket, swinging hard. This kind of sympatico is natural to Mr. Kuhn, and it is never obvious, yet apparent. I love his deep-in-the-keys sound; it is a beautiful, singing sound, and it permeates everything he plays.
Steve Kuhn is a major figure and I hope he gets more than a one-off with Blue Note, but I’ll take that happily when it comes out.
The recent discussion about Steve Kuhn reminds me of an experience I had about 10 years ago at the Teluride,CO Jazz Festival. A quartet headed by alto player Frank Morgan was playing one evening in a small movie theatre. The pianist was Steve Kuhn with whom Morgan was unfamiliar. Frank Morgan stayed close to the piano during the entire performance and paid extremely close attention to everything Kuhn played.
Toward the latter part of the evening Morgan made a speech to the audience extolling the marvelous piano work of Steve Kuhn, and telling the listeners how fortunate they were to have a chance to experience such marvelous playing.
Morgan was correct, and it was a memorable evening of outstanding music.