STEVE KUHN self-titled BUDDAH BDS-5098 Jazz/Funk BILLY COBHAM Airto RON CARTER

$

75

STEVE KUHN self-titled BUDDAH BDS-5098 Jazz/Funk BILLY COBHAM Airto RON CARTER - Here's what the blog-o-sphere has to say about Kuhn's LP...

This album is just so damn good - it hurts. Kuhn's tour de force and definitely his hardest to find - this deserves a huge audience and warrants a sorely needed reissue.Beauty, depth and weight in equal measure. Monster washes of fender rhodes, tender and soulful lyricism supported by a heavyweight cast which includes pumping bass by none other than Ron Carter, funky but never overpowering drums by Billy Cobham - in fact I've never heard him play better and percussion by Airto Moreira. Add to this already mouth-watering line-up a small string section arranged by Gary McFarland and we have a very special LP indeed.I believe this was Gary McFarland's final recording date before his untimely and mysterious death but what a way to go..! Saying that though, this is all about Steve Kuhn and it's plainly his show - a handful of his finest compositions delivered in definitive fashion. Steve Kuhn. American jazz pianist and composer. Releases a couple of run-of-the-mill jazz records in the late sixties. Then, in 1971, a self-titled ‘Steve Kuhn’ record appears on the Buddah Records catalogue.This is spaced out stuff. Kuhn’s dreamy Rhodes washes over a gentle bed of drums (none other than Billy Cobham), bass (Ron Carter), percussion (Airto Moreira), and strings (arranged by Gary McFarland).The music is sublime, but what really elevates these recordings is Kuhn’s melancholy, introspective vocal. Kuhn sings with a sad, reflective tone; his presumable lack of vocal training lending a sense of honesty to the lyricism. This is a special record. It’s an oddity in Steve Kuhn’s discography (who went back to making much more straightforward, traditional jazz for the rest of his career), an oddity in the Buddah Records catalogue (think Gladys Knight, Melba Moore, Baby Huey’s Hard Times LP, or Curtis Mayfield’s classic Superfly), and a unique, original piece of music full stop.  The album features the group playing Gary McFarland arrangements of Kuhn’s compositions, accompanied by a string section on several tracks, with Kuhn delivering stream of consciousness lyrics in an unplanned and largely improvised fashion in the studio. However, that wasn’t the only surprising aspect to the session. Airto Moreira’s appearance was more by chance than design, he having just popped by the studio, again, unplanned.  The ‘Steve Kuhn’ album is all the stronger for these extemporaneous and serendipitous elements and showcases a band at the top of their game; tight and funky yet relaxed and flowing like molten gold, with stabs and washes of keyboard from Kuhn. Splashes of free playing enter the session, but the band never stray too far from a melodic and harmonious centre of gravity. Kuhn’s deft keyboard skills provide melodic embroidery to the impressive rhythmic textures and tonal colours of Carter, Cobham and Moreira. As if the music wasn’t enough, the album is given extra significance by the fact that, within a few months of the recording, McFarland would die after being mysteriously poisoned by methadone in a New York bar. In a sense, it is a valedictory album from McFarland, channeled by Kuhn and the band. It’s among the hardest of Kuhn’s albums to find so this reissue is most welcome. Luxuriate in the glow of Kuhn’s Fender Rhodes and the pliant funky bass of Ron Carter; immerse yourself in the percussive interplay of Moreira and Cobham, a pairing that has rarely sounded so good. This is such an exquisite album; you will lose yourself in its delicate power.

Visual Grading:

Cover -  VG-

Vinyl - VG++/NM- (superb clean copy)

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Buyer should presume most records will need a light cleaning before playing.

SHIPPING (I do combine shipping.  Please read below and request payment total when you are finished bidding on my items): 

US Buyers - $4 for the first LP.  $1 for each additional. Shipping via USPS media mail with delivery confirmation.

International Buyers - $23 for the first LP.  $3 for each additional up to six LPs.  Orders over 4lbs will be calculated by weight and buyer location.

Canadian Buyers - $18 for the first LP.  $3 for each additional LP up to six LPs.  Orders over 4lbs will be calculated by weight and buyer location. 

(PLEASE REQUEST PAYMENT TOTAL when you're finished bidding. Thanks!)

PACKAGING:  I ship all LPs in boxes designed specifically for the purpose.  When shipping a single LP, I also include a cardboard filler to thicken the package.  I always ship the LP outside of the sleeve, with vinyl and sleeve inside of an outer plastic sleeve.  When shipping more than one LP, additional cardboard may not be used if the package is thick enough.  This is pretty well the best that anyone can do in packing an LP record for shipping.  That said, buyers should realize that how the package is handled by the USPS or other postal services around the world is out of the seller's control and very occasionally, records can be damaged in shipping, no matter how well a record is packaged. 

GRADING:

SS (Still Sealed) - Never opened. (I do not believe in grading opened LPs or 45s as "Mint".  A "Mint" record is still sealed.)

NM (Near Mint)  - a near perfect, probably unplayed record.  might be dusty or have a light fingerprint, but has no marks that can be seen.

NM- (Near Mint minus) - absolutely clean with at most a few very superficial marks that have no effect on playback.

VG++ - Super clean and very lightly played.  

VG+ (Very Good Plus) - the record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little deterioration in sound quality.

VG  (Very Good) - a well used copy. There will be obvious signs of wear and the possibility of light surface noise between tracks or during quiet passages.  A VG record may have very small marks that can be felt, but feelable marks will always be specifically noted in my listings)

VG- (Very Good minus)  - significant wear and marks and usually quite noticeable surface noise.  music still dominates over any background noise or pops.  

G (good) - still a playable record without jumps or marks that stick, but a record in this condition will have significant surface noise, pops and other distractions.  

SATISFACTION:

I do my best to grade accurately.  If you are unhappy with any part of your transaction, please contact me before leaving feedback.  I am confident that any problem can be resolved.  It's my intent that buyers are happy with their purchase.  Returns are accepted for a full refund, minus shipping costs.