The American Jazz Institute

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An Evening with Steve Kuhn

Acclaimed pianist Steve Kuhn and a stellar trio featuring David Finck (bass) and Peter Erskine (drums).

Saturday
March 29, 2003 8:00pm
Claremont McKenna College campus
Free Admission

TERRY LEWIS & RON TEEPLES, photographers

Born in Brooklyn in 1938, Kuhn was fascinated with his father’s jazz 78’s as a toddler. After he began classical piano lessons at age five, he taught himself to improvise on and syncopate Mozart and Bach pieces, practiced his own version of boogie-woogie. To this day, he retains a style of piano playing that takes advantage of formidable independence of hands.

Pete Erskine (d), Dave Finck (b), Mark Masters, & Steve Kuhn (p).

Later, Kuhn began studying with renowned, Boston-area teacher Margaret Chaloff, who schooled him in the so-called “Russian Technique,” which he has always held to be an invaluable tool for tone production and projection on the piano. Her son, Serge, a baritone saxophonist of Woody Herman’s “Four Brothers” band, had the 14-year-old Kuhn accompany him on jobs. Throughout his teens, Kuhn continued playing in Boston’s jazz clubs with such notables a Coleman Hawkins, Chet Baker, and Vic Dickenson.

After graduating from Harvard (a music major), Steve attended the Lenox School of Music.

It happen to be a particularly adventitious time at that institution. The Lenox faculty included Bill Evans, George Russell and Gunther Schuller. Among his fellow classmates were Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Gary McFarland, and Freddie Hubbard. While at Lenox, he also met Kenny Dorham and they began a fruitful collaboration, that was finally interrupted when Steve was asked to join John Coltrane’s newly-formed quartet.

In 1961, Scott LaFaro brought Steve into Stan Getz’s headliner band, where the virtuoso pianist and bassist planned to later form jazz group of their own. However, LaFaro’s untimely death put an end to that wonderful idea. Throughout the early and mid 1960s period, much of Kuhn’s work was with Art Farmer and Gary McFarland. Simultaneously, Farmer’s rhythm section of Pete LaRoca and Steve Swallow teamed up with Steve to form the “Kuhn Trio.” Its recordings were Steve’s first as a leader. His association with Gary McFarland led to the critically acclaimed album, “October Suite” (1967).

From 1967 to 1971, Steve lived and played in Sweden. When he returned to the US, a new generation of pianists – Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock among them – was in the ascendance. Jazz critics speculated that, had Kuhn stayed in the States, he would have achieved a greater degree of public recognition. Be that as it may, Steve has been regarded as a “musician’s musician” his entire performing life, always being highly respected by jazz artist peers.

Steve Kuhn creates music of subtlety, sophistication, grace, and improvised elegance. He merits attention as a purveyor of impressive melodic variation, rhythmic sparkle, intelligence, imagination, emotional impact and taste.

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