The Country and Western Sound of Jazz Pianos is an album recorded by jazz pianists Toshiko Akiyoshi and Steve Kuhn in New York City in 1963 and released on the Dauntless label.

Review by Ken Dryden

...A lot of jazz fans overlook the fact that there were some strong melodies written by country musicians in the 1950s and 1960s, and many of these songs work very well in the hands of this sextet. Akiyoshi leans more toward bop, with Kuhn usually lagging behind the beat; while Izenzon plays the higher often arco bass parts as Neves walks underneath him. "Hang Your Head in Shame" is particularly adventurous, while Akiyoshi switches to celesta for the ballad "May the Good Lord Bless You and Keep You." This record will likely appeal to the small minority of jazz fans who enjoy duo pianos and songs that are a bit off the beaten path.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naC2mfo4Sg4&list=RDnaC2mfo4Sg4&start_radio=1

#ToshikoAkiyoshi #SteveKuhn #BarryGalbraith #DavidIzenzon #Jazz #Music #Country

Ended the week and started the weekend with The October Suite an album by American jazz pianist Steve Kuhn and composer/arranger/conductor Gary McFarland featuring performances recorded in 1966 for the Impulse! label.

The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "it is an anomaly in the Impulse catalog of the time in that it did not pursue the free jazz realms with the vengeance that most of the label's other acts did during that year" - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFi3S37NRNY&list=OLAK5uy_kFfcGRazZT1VhITcRYzO7m0WnNnQQCq48

#SteveKuhn #GaryMcFarland #ImpulseRecords #Jazz #SpiritualJazz #Music

We Could Be Flying by Karin Krog, released on Polydor in 1974

We Could Be Flying is a rare and classic album by KARIN KROG, a world-class jazz singer from Norway, which has been loved since its original release in 1975. The presence of New York pianist Steve Kuhn, who also composes four of the nine tracks, createsa masterpiece that combines a mellow, gentle comfort with a jazz-like groove.

The album starts off with the title track "We Could be Flying" with its solidly sounding rhythm and soulful Karin's vocals, followed by "Meaning Of Love," and the album starts off with a sound that is sure to please fans of jazz-rock. The fourth track is a cover of Joni Mitchell's "All I Want," ..- Jazz Messnegers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbbNTfNRCkA&list=RDkbbNTfNRCkA&start_radio=1

#KarinKrog #SteveSwallow
#JonChristensen #SteveKuhn #JoniMitchell #Jazz #VocalJazz #NorwegianJazz Music

Slipped into sleep and then welcomed Friday with Cycles the second album by cellist David Darling, recorded in 1981 and released on ECM the following year.

Tyran Grillo wrote for ECM Reviews:

"Cellist David Darling has had a long, if sporadic, association with ECM, quietly forging—either under the guise of solo artist or buried in an album’s roster—some of the label’s most lyrical atmospheres. With Cycles, however, Darling magnified his sound-world through the inimitable talents of Jan Garbarek and Collin Walcott in a space both selfless and uniquely his own. Add to that the astonishing pianism of Steve Kuhn and the depth of Arild Andersen on bass, and you get what is, to this listener at least, one of ECM’s finest celestial alignments..."

https://ecmreviews.com/2011/11/08/cycles/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0zxDklTW7w&list=OLAK5uy_mjRP-ePBAhwulXvQb-aV4_Ul88VYDkQqM

#daviddarling #cello #ecm #ecmreviews #jangarbarek #colinwalcott #stevekuhn #arildanderson #1982inmusic