KUHN, CARTER & FOSTER (LIVE)

It is no secret that record companies—large record companies obligated to turning a profit for their stockholders—like to sign young, exciting, good-looking artists. Blue Note, America’s blue chip jazz label, is no stranger to this—Hello, Norah Jones. Too often, it seems, the only jazz musicians being supported by the major labels were legends with immortal names and “young lions” not yet ready for prime time. But in 2007, Blue Note is doing more than releasing the new Norah Jones album. It is also releasing substantial new music by distinctly mature jazz artists—musicians who have been neglected and whose art is at a high pitch. Pianist Steve Kuhn, at the age of 69, boasts an impressive career of adventurous improvisation. His Blue Note debut is a live date with a sterling rhythm team—Ron Carter on bass and Al Foster on drums—that has been playing together for decades. The result is a sparkling and inventive record of piano trio jazz for the ages. Much of the program here is a reprise of the trio’s work from the stage of the Village Vanguard in 1984, music that was released 20 years ago on smaller labels. The group reportedly did not rehearse, and the music sounds that fresh. As a pianist, Kuhn is nimble and fleet, while Carter plays the role of anchor. Foster’s ears are legendary, and he drives the music forward here with immediate responsiveness to every quaver of his band mates’ melodies. The communication—exciting, intuitive, and virtuosic—is the very thing that jazz is all about. (Will Layman)


1 - If I Were a Bell (Loesser) 9:31
2 - Jitterbug Waltz (Waller) 10:47
3 - Two by Two (Kuhn) 6:13
4 - La Plus Que Lent (Debussy) 7:03
5 - Little Waltz (Carter) 7:16
6 - Lotus Blossom (Dorham) 6:12
7 - Stella by Starlight (Young) 8:12
8 - Slow Hot Wind (Mancini) 7:16
9 - Clotilde (Kuhn) 6:16
10 - Confirmation (Parker) 6:54



Blue Note (released in february 20, 2007)
Steve Kuhn – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Al Foster - drums



PS. Esse post é pro Sazz. E o CD é bom mesmo.