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BY BOBBY REEDSteve Kuhn Trio, Wisteria
This trio date is a meeting of familiar masters. In the liner notes to Wisteria, pianist Steve Kuhn points out that he has played with bassist Steve Swallow for more than 50 years, and he’s worked with drummer Joey Baron for more than 20 years; however, this album marks the first time that these musicians have ever played together as a trio. The album’s centerpiece, a gorgeous arrangement of Carla Bley’s “Permanent Wave,” illustrates a deep musical empathy that comes from years of experience. On the title track (penned by Kuhn’s one-time employer Art Farmer), the combination of Baron’s subtle brushwork, the pianist’s elegantly melodic lines and Swallow’s supple solo adds up to a magnificent tearjerker. On “Romance,” Baron’s cymbals evoke the hushed whispers of lovers entwined. Elsewhere, an arrangement of Kuhn’s “Pastorale” puts Swallow in the spotlight, making his electric bass the lead instrument for about half the tune before Kuhn’s c -harming commentary provides emotional heft to the tale. There is also some uptempo material here that seriously swings. If someone unfamiliar with Kuhn were to hear his buoyant original tune “A Likely Story”—with its cascading notes and the pianist’s fleet fingers flying—one would never guess that the composer was 73 years old at the time of this recording. Four of the CD’s 11 tracks were given a different treatment on 2004’s Promises Kept (ECM), which featured a 15-piece string orchestra, but here the focus is on the poignancy and spaciousness of a terrific piano trio.
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