STEVE KUHN | MIROSLAV VITOUS | ALDO ROMANO — Oceans in the Sky (1990-2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This fairly obscure Owl CD matches together pianist Steve Kuhn, bassist Miroslav Vitous, and drummer Aldo Romano for post-bop renditions of three group originals and a variety of standards, including "The Island," "In Your Own Sweet Way," and "The Music That Makes Me Dance." The interplay between the three advanced musicians and their ability to play both inside and outside at the same time are the main reasons to acquire this set. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :
1    The Island    7:55
 Ivan Lins / Vitor Martins
2    Lotus Blossom    5:04
 Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
3    La Plus Que Lente / Passion Flower    6:38
 Claude Debussy / Billy Strayhorn
4    Do    4:31
 Aldo Romano
5    Oceans In The Sky    6:10
 Steve Kuhn
6    Theme For Ernie    5:27
 Fred Lacey
7    Angela    4:47
 Antônio Carlos Jobim
8    In Your Own Sweet Way    7:31
 Dave Brubeck
9    Ulla    4:48
 Steve Kuhn
10    The Music That Makes Me Dance    2:42
 Jule Styne
Credits :
Bass – Miroslav Vitous
Drums – Aldo Romano
Piano – Steve Kuhn

STEVE KUHN — The Vanguard Date (1991) Serie Owl Time Line | Two Version | FLAC & APE (image+.cue), lossless

The Vanguard Date features jazz pianist Steve Kuhn performing with his trio at New York's Village Vanguard in 1986. Joining Kuhn here are bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster. Whether playing jazz standards, ballads, or the pianist's own atmospheric and harmonically interesting post-bop compositions, Kuhn and his trio sound superb. This is a highly recommended album for Kuhn fans. Matt Collar
Tracklist :
1    Clotilde 4:39
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
2    Superjet 7:30
Composed By – Tadd Dameron
3    Little Waltz 6:30
Composed By – Ron Carter
4    The Zoo 4:57
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
5    I Thought About You 7:13
Composed By – Jimmy Van Heusen
6    Music Prayer For Peace 11:38
Composed By – Phil Perry
7    Dance Only With Me 5:39
Composed By – Jule Styne
8    Lullaby 5:04
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
Credits :
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Al Foster
Piano – Steve Kuhn

STEVE KUHN | STEVE SWALLOW — Two By 2 (1996-2007) RM | Confluences Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

The verve of a duet recording between pianist Steve Kuhn and electric bass guitarist Steve Swallow cannot be underestimated. An inherent telepathy, shared concern for beauty, and high level of musicianship should lead one to believe, on paper, that this would be a perfect joining, and indeed it is. So many outstanding pieces highlight this disc, especially considering they play no standards. Of Kuhn's compositions, you get the stunning "Deep Tango," with its stop-start tendencies, and Kuhn vocally reciting "Poem for #15" (never previously recorded with the verse), also known as "The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers." Both of these classics were previously heard on the ECM recording Playground, which Kuhn did in collaboration with Sheila Jordan. There's the bluesy title selection, the fun "Mr. Calypso Kuhn" (rivaling the Sonny Rollins evergreen "St. Thomas"), and the utterly gorgeous "Gentle Thoughts." Swallow assimilates legitimate single-string high-octave guitar leads on "Deep Tango" and "Gentle Thoughts," but sticks with traditional basslines on most of the record, and he is an unquestioned master at that. His compositional contributions are his more famous than ever melody of "Eiderdown" (a great rendition), the noir drama samba "Ladies in Mercedes" (popularized by Carla Bley), and the spirit waltz "Remember." All pieces are played with a modern luster and shine rivaling a mirror-like polished piece of chrome. Whether pristine and pretty, pensive and moody, or bright and bouncy, Kuhn and Swallow consistently deliver a timeless recording that should stand all tests of time, and is definitely recommended. Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1    Gentle Thoughts 4:01
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
2    Two By Two 3:51
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
3    Remember 5:56
Composed By – Steve Swallow
4    Wrong Together 4:33
Composed By – Steve Swallow
5    Eiderdown 5:33
Composed By – Steve Swallow
6    Lullaby 5:47
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
7    Ladies In Mercedes 6:30
Composed By – Steve Swallow
8    Deep Tango 6:31
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
9    Poem For #15 6:39
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
10    Mr Calypso Kuhn 2:55
Composed By – Steve Kuhn
11    Emmanuel 5:39
Composed By – Michel Colombier
Credits :
Electric Bass – Steve Swallow
Piano – Steve Kuhn

PAUL BLEY | JIMMY GIUFFRE | STEVE SWALLOW — The Life Of A Trio : Saturday (1990-2007) RM | Confluences Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 The venerable Sunnyside label has re-released the two Life of a Trio nights -- originally issued in the early '90s on CD by France's Owl label -- that featured the 1989 reunion of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 of Giuffre on reeds, pianist Paul Bley, and bassist Steve Swallow. The first evening, Saturday, December 16, began with a solo clarinet improvisation by Giuffre, followed by "Black Ivory," a duet between Giuffre and Bley, and then "Owl Eyes," by solo Bley, with the tension heating up as Bley duets with Swallow on "Endless Melody," until they come together all too briefly (5:22) for "Turns." Effortless, spontaneous, adventurous, and even moving, this trio released three of the most provocative -- and all but ignored -- recordings in '60s jazz: Fusion and Thesis for Verve in 1961 and the undisputed radical classic Free Fall for Columbia in 1962. Live performances from the period have appeared on Hat and ECM. As the trio plays together -- with Swallow on his electric bass -- on "Turns," time seems to be stripped away, and the microtonal and pointillistic investigations in collective improvisation embarked upon nearly three decades previously are as current as the next breath. And indeed they are, as there were no rehearsals, no extra or alternate takes, nothing but the music as it happened. There are only two other trio pieces (the others in two parts each) on Saturday night; the other pieces making up the set are solos by Bley, Swallow, and Giuffre on soprano. No matter. What comes out is an investigation of sound from the inside out, textually, tonally, spatially. Extraordinary.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY | JIMMY GIUFFRE | STEVE SWALLOW — The Life Of A Trio : Sunday (1990-2007) RM | Confluences Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second night of the 1989 reunion in New York of the 1961-1962 Jimmy Giuffre 3 with pianist Paul Bley and (now electric) bassist Steve Swallow in some ways eclipses the first. The fact that there is more integration between the trio members as a whole than on the first evening is certainly one place to start. At the very beginning, "Sensing" -- with Giuffre on soprano and Bley playing bass notes in the lowest register as Swallow enters and takes over the role and Bley moves to the middle -- is a stunner, though it is only four minutes and 13 seconds long. The breadth of the players seems to have come back to them as a unit with these live, as-they-happened, no-second-take performances. There are six full performances here -- and oddly enough the most satisfying of them is a composed piece by Carla Bley entitled "Where Were We?" -- instead of three from the previous evening. Giuffre is more comfortable on the soprano here, and the duos are quite literally amazing. Bley has a pair of piano solos, Giuffre has one clarinet solo, and the rest are duos made up of either bass and piano, clarinet and bass, soprano and piano, soprano and bass, etc. The joy of music-making and the inherent lyricism in these pieces reflect not only a sense of familiarity with the dialogue and improvisational feel of each player, but the true desire to communicate from inside the sound being explored to the listener as well. There may have been a few more viscerally exciting performances by vanguard jazz trios during 1989, but few of them that revealed -- via the strength of restraint -- what tonality, dissonance, and harmony can achieve when what is explored is music for its own sake. Highly recommended.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY — Homage to Carla (1993-2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits :

GIL EVANS | STEVE LACY – Paris Blues (1988-1993) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Recorded just three months before arranger/pianist Gil Evans's death, this duet album teams Evans with the great soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. In truth, Evans's playing here is generally little more than melody statements and comping behind Lacy and, although the soprano is in top form, little of significance occurs. The duo performs lengthy versions of three Charles Mingus tunes, Duke Ellington's "Paris Blues" and Lacy's "Esteem." Evans was never a masterful keyboardist and clearly was not in Lacy's league as a player, so this CD is of greater interest from a historical standpoint than musical. Scott Yanow    Tracklist & Credits :

PAUL BLEY | GARY PEACOCK - Partners (1991-2001) RM | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Paul Bley had known and collaborated with Gary Peacock since 1962, so by the time this duo session was recorded, one could expect that a certain degree of musical empathy would be in play. And yes, here there is plenty of the give and take of two old friends who do not go along with the mainstream jazz program. Yet one could also call this an album of twin monologues, for ten of the 15 tracks here are solo improvisations for each player, with the five duo numbers interspersed between them. Twice, a pair of Peacock's bass solos form a sandwich around a Bley solo track, setting up a symmetry that is fulfilled by the subsequent duo numbers. Moreover, on the first five minutes of the lengthy duo track "Who's Who Is It?," Bley and Peacock play their passages separately, one after another, before Peacock's free basslines stiffen sufficiently to provide a walking, swinging partner for Bley. As for other duo tracks, the CD opens with a lovely duet bearing the significant title "Again Anew," and they put together a great Latin-flavored workout on Ornette Coleman's "Latin Genetics." The parting shot "No Pun Intended" is a humorous, atonal, avant-garde, extended-techniques adventure at the opposite stylistic pole of the opening track. Without slighting Bley's contribution in the least, it is Peacock who makes the most inventive impression on this disc; his solos sustain high interest throughout -- a tough thing to pull off on the bass -- and his instrument is beautifully captured by the engineers. Richard S. Ginell  
Tracklist:
1    Again Anew 6:32    
Paul Bley / Gary Peacock
2    Pleiades Skirt 2:12    
Gary Peacock
3    Octavon 2:13    
Paul Bley
4    Latin Genetics 5:07
Ornette Coleman
5    Workinoot 4:37
Gary Peacock
6    Afternoon of a Dawn, Pts. 1-3 5:33
Paul Bley
7    Hand in Hand 4:44
Paul Bley / Gary Peacock
8    Satyr Satire 2:41
Gary Peacock
9    Lull-A-Bye 3:31
Paul Bley
10    Twitter Pat1 1:35
Gary Peacock    
11    Who's Who Is It? 11:37
Paul Bley / Gary Peacock
12    Gently, Gently 2:11
Gary Peacock
13    Majestique 3:06
Paul Bley
14    Pot Luck 2:48
Gary Peacock
15    No Pun Intended  3:08
Paul Bley / Gary Peacock
Credits:
Bass – Gary Peacock (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 to 12, 14, 15)
Piano – Paul Bley (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15)