Steve Kuhn - Live At Maybeck Recital Hall Vol.13 (1990)

Tracklist

01 - Old Folks (Dedette Lee Hill, Willard Robison) 06:35
02 - Solar (Miles Davis) 09:48
03 - Don't Explain (Arthur Herzog jr, Billie Holiday) 08:25
04 - I Remember You (Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger) 10:21
05 - Autumn in New York (Vernon Duke) 10:55
06 - The Meaning of the Blues (Bobby Troup, Leah Worth) 06:18

personnel :

Steve Kuhn - piano

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