SEALED LP: STEVE KUHN: ECSTASY

$

40

Steve Kuhn: Ecstasy

FACTORY SEALED LP

• Silver
• Prelude in G
• Ulla
• Thoughts of a Gentleman/The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers
• Life's Backward Glance

• Jan Erik Kongshaug: Engineer
• Steve Kuhn: Piano, Main Performer

• Steve Kuhn performs five unaccompanied originals on this 1974 studio session recorded in Norway. "Silver," his fascinating opener, is a haunting ballad with many faces, occasionally mysterious, but generally shimmering. "Prelude in G" features Kuhn's wide-ranging right hand (bordering on avant-garde at times) over a fairly steady vamp. "Ulla" is yet another lovely ballad, though the mood changes with a series of single repeated notes and chords in the second half of the piece, possibly symbolizing the passing of time and the fading of a love affair. "Thoughts of a Gentleman/The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" seems like a title more suitable to a Dave Frishberg composition, but this extended work is anything but tongue in cheek. "Life's Backward Glance" mixes avant-garde and post-bop, with a somewhat classical flavor. Beautifully recorded by engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, this out of print ECM LP is well worth seeking. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

• Steve Kuhn has had an interesting career. A talented jazz pianist, he has worked in many types of settings through the years. He began classical piano lessons when he was five, studied with Madame Chaloff, and accompanied her son, baritonist Serge Chaloff, on some gigs when the pianist was 14. He freelanced in Boston as a teenager, graduated from Harvard, and moved to New York where he worked with Kenny Dorham's group (1959-1960). Kuhn was the original pianist in John Coltrane's Quartet, playing for two months before McCoy Tyner succeeded him. He was with the bands of Stan Getz (1961-1963) and Art Farmer (1964-1966), lived in Europe (1967-1970), and then returned to the U.S. in 1971. Kuhn doubled on electric piano in the 1970s, recorded for ECM, and co-led a group with Sheila Jordan in the latter part of the decade. After a period playing commercial music, he formed an acoustic trio in the mid-'80s, which has been his main vehicle ever since. Steve Kuhn has recorded as a leader for Impulse (1966), Contact, MPS, BYG, Muse, ECM, Blackhawk, New World, Owl, Concord, and Postcards.

• This record came from a record store called "Phantasmagoria" which was located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Phantasmagoria went out of business in 1978. I purchased most of their unsold inventory some years later when I owned "Music Madness" - a new & used record store in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
• Phantasmagoria used round colored stickers to indicate the price of the albums. They had a chart on the wall with the color sticker combinations for the customers to use so they knew the price of the albums. Most of the albums still have these stickers on them, and in some rare cases, the stickers are written on. Some of the records have prices on them. This is the price you would have paid for the record in 1978 if you would have bought it at Phantasmagoria. Please don't confuse these prices with their current value.
• All sealed albums are being sold as collector's items and cannot be returned due to manufacturer's defects. It may be almost impossible to replace many of the sealed albums that I am selling.

• If I list an album as "New", but not sealed, it is because the album is probably an import or from a small USA record company. Back in the 70's, many imported albums were not sealed by the record companies, and the importers/distrubutors did not spend the time or money to seal them before being sent to the stores. I will not knowingly misrepresent an album as new if I have any doubts.
  
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• All album reviews, credits and artist biographies are from All Music Guide. If you haven't been to their web site, you have to check it out. It's one of the most comprehensive music references on the internet. In some cases, credits may include reissue (CD) information. Obviously any credits referenced to CDs do not apply to this album release.

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