George Kahn - Jazz & Blues Revue

Size: 155,2 MB
Time: 66:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Blues, Jazz, Soul
Art: Front

01. Cantaloupe Island (4:01)
02. Yes We Can Can (4:56)
03. Summertime (5:56)
04. Beat Me Daddy Eight To The Bar (3:11)
05. Shoo Shoo Baby (4:37)
06. Use Me (5:48)
07. The Boy From New York City/The Way You Make Me Feel (4:17)
08. God Bless The Child (5:22)
09. I'd Rather Go Blind (5:06)
10. Something's Got A Hold On Me (4:31)
11. Rock Me Baby (5:49)
12. Feeling Good (4:49)
13. Afro Blue (7:41)

Billed as the "Sass 'n' Soul World Tour," LA jazz pianist George Kahn presents the Jazz & Blues Revue, his eighth album as leader featuring three of LA's finest female jazz vocalist in his first all-vocal project and departure from previous recordings. On tap, fresh new arrangements of thirteen songs that obviously, not only touch on the jazz and blues landscape but, also include elements from the R&B and soul genres. On vocals throughout the session are Gina Saputo, a Eugene, Oregon native, educator and staple of the LA jazz scene, Crystal Starr winner of the 2011 Hollywood Music Awards for Best R&B singer and Santa Monica's own Courtney Lemmon who released her debut jazz album at the age of fifteen and has appeared on other Kahn recordings.

The pianist provides able support for the singers by assembling a cast of players that include jazz luminaries among them, saxophonist Eric Marienthal and trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez as well as special guests guitarist Pat Kelly and tenor saxophonist Chuck Manning. Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" starts the vocal ball rolling featuring Saputo on lead as the other singers provide the background with solos from Marienthal on the alto and the Dr. on the horn jazzing up the piece. Kahn and the band introduces what seems, at least in the beginning, like a New Orleans styled soulful version of the Gershwin standard "Summertime," but then develops nicely into a percussive Latin jazz tune with vocalist Starr doing the honors while M.B. Gordy lays down the percussion.

The three vocalist become the newest version of the fabulous Andrews Sisters of the 30s and 40s with a boogie-woogie-styled romp on "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar" and lay down one mean version of the popular Bill Withers song "Use Me" complete with funky rhythms and superlative piano lines from the leader. Songbird Saputo leads a sassy rendition of the time-honored Billie Holiday classic "God Bless the Child" as Marienthal's expressive alto and the other ladies, do a little blessing of their own on this tune. The Gospel and soul sound is alive and well on the Etta James piece "Something's Got A Hold On Me" with songstress Starr taking the lead and propelling her crisp sharp vocals on a swinging tune punctuated by Kelly's rock-styled guitar riffs.

This vocal experience winds down with Lemmon voicing a stellar arrangement of Anthony Newley's "Feeling Good" while a terrific read of the Mongo Santamaria standard and finale tune "Afro Blue," provides some of the best instrumentals of the recording. Kahn states that "each of my albums features a wide range of styles..." and this new album continues in that tradition with LA songbirds Saputo, Starr and Lemmon voicing their interpretations of the jazz, blues, soul and R&B sounds contained in George Kahn's Jazz & Blues Revue, a vocal jazz statement that begs to be heard. With great vocals, superb instrumentals and an exciting selection of music, this is vocal jazz at its best.

Personnel: George Kahn: piano; Courtney Lemmon: vocals; Gina Saputo: vocals; Crystal Starr: vocals; Lyman Medeiros: bass; M. B. Gordy: drums, percussion; Eric Marienthal: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Dr. Bobby Rodriguez: trumpet; Chuck Manning: tenor saxophone (2, 11); Pat Kelly: guitar (2, 3, 8, 11).

Jazz & Blues Revue

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George Kahn - Secrets From The Jazz Ghetto Disc 1 And Disc 2

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:06 (CD 1)
Size: 179,5 MB (CD 1)
Time: 79:57 (CD 2)
Size: 188,3 MB (CD 2)
Art: Front + Back

Disc 1

(4:47)  1. Sombras De Noite (Night Shadows)
(6:25)  2. Over The Rainbow
(5:03)  3. Waltz For Diana
(6:09)  4. My Funny Valentine
(6:28)  5. See Cruise
(7:11)  6. Say Goodbye
(5:56)  7. Benji
(7:55)  8. Freedom Vessel
(4:12)  9. Open House
(4:43) 10. Out Of Time
(4:14) 11. One Moment Of Your Life
(7:08) 12. 5 To Get Ready, 10 To Go
(5:50) 13. The Hero's Journey

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Disc 2

(6:44)  1. Too Much Sax
(7:36)  2. The Big 4-0
(5:43)  3. Millennium Schmellenium
(4:58)  4. Evan's Seven
(4:53)  5. A Bop For Billy
(5:50)  6. Swiss Cheese
(5:27)  7. Midnight Brew
(4:58)  8. Mercedes The Lady
(5:59)  9. Gnomesayin'
(5:22) 10. Wes' Coast
(6:42) 11. Mitchell's Blues
(6:14) 12. Evan's Eleven
(9:27) 13. Wayne's World

West Coast jazz pianist George Kahn revisits past successes on Secrets From The Jazz Ghetto selecting some of his best compositions from five of his previous six albums for this compilation recording. This seventh outing contains 26 pieces covering a range of styles from contemporary to bebop, and from Bossa Nova to Latin and Cool jazz. Though the main repertoire on this two-disc set album reprises music recorded between 1998 to 2008, there are seven new recordings revealed here as the first of Kahn's secrets. The music is quite varied, accessible and challenging to the core, an obvious conclusion after a sampling of the album and that's no secret. The first four pieces on disc one (Nightside), are new recordings beginning with the Brazilian-shaded "Sombras De Noite" (Night Shadow) featuring Luba Masonon vocals and guitarist Pat Kelly. 

Harold Arlen's classic "Over The Rainbow" is the next piece enjoying another new interpretation that showcases saxophonist Andy Suzuki and Kahn on delicate solos. The third tune, "Waltz For Diana" is special for Kahn, penned for his wife, to whom the entire album is dedicated and is five minutes of pure West Coast bop pleasure. The pianist is masterful on "My Funny Valentine" both on the keys and in the unique arrangement he provides. The melody is painted with glowing soprano lines from Suzuki and a bit of improvisation on his part makes the tune just a tad challenging to discern. Vocalist Tierney Sutton appears on a couple of originals, including "One Moment of Your Life" which had been previously recorded, but unreleased until now. "Evan's Eleven" comes out swinging with a funky perky beat behind M.B. Gordy's strong stick work on the last gyrating number of the set. "Wayne's World" takes a more contemporary road ending the album on a high note, an expansive nine-minute plus finale featuring brilliant tenor lines once again from Suzuki, tantalizing piano play from the leader, and stellar bass lines from Karl Vincent. Kahn draws on five tracks from Midnight Brew (Playing Records, 2002) including "A Bop for Billy," "Swiss Cheese" and the title track, with saxophonist Eric Marienthaland trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez. 

"Say Goodbye" and "The Big 4-0" are two pieces showcasing trumpeter Wayne Bergeron among the four charts taken from "Out of Time (Playing Records, 1998). The balance of the album contains selected pieces from Freedom Vessel (Playing Records 2000), Compared To What? (Playing Records, 2004), and his highly acclaimed Cover Up (Playing Records, 2008). For those not familiar with George Kahn's music, Secrets From The Ghetto is the perfect vehicle to get acquainted with one of the finest pianist and composers in the jazz world today. Delivering a variety of styles recorded with some of the best jazz musicians in the world, this album provides a good bang for the buck with a number of outstanding musical scores included. That's the real secret here. ~ Edward Blanco http://www.allaboutjazz.com/secrets-from-the-jazz-ghetto-george-kahn-playing-records-review-by-edward-blanco.php#.U7gOzbF8eM0

Personnel: George Kahn: piano; Karl Vincent: bass (CD1#1-3, 10-12, CD2#5-7, 12, 13); Richard Reed: bass (CD1#5-7, CD2#2); Brian Bromberg: bass (CD1#12, 13, CD2#1, CD2#9-11); Dave Carpenter: bass ( CD1#8, CD2#3, 4); Pat Kelley: guitar (CD1#1, CD2#10); Jerry Kalaf: drums (CD1#1); M.B. Gordy: drums, percussion (CD1#2, 3, 8-11, CD2#3-7, 12, 13); Billy Higgins: drums (CD1#5-7, CD2#2); Joe LaBarbera: drums (CD2#3, 4); Alex Acuna: drums (CD1#12, 13, CD2#8-11); Andy Suzuki: saxophone (CD1#2-4, CD2#12, 13); Eric Marienthal: saxophone (CD1#5, 7, 8, CD2#1-7); Justo Almario: saxophone (CD1#11, 12, CD2#8); Wayne Bergeron: trumpet (CD1#10, 12, 13, CD2#3-7); John Fumo: trumpet ( CD2#8-11); Luba Mason: vocals (CD1#1); Tierney Sutton: vocals (CD1#10, 11); Kevin Ricard: percussion (CD2#7).

Secrets From The Jazz Ghetto Disc 1, Disc 2

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George Kahn - ...Compared To What

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:55
Size: 144,5 MB
Art: Front

(8:23)  1. On Green Dolphin Street
(4:56)  2. Mercedes the Lady
(5:26)  3. Compared to What
(7:06)  4. 5 to Get Ready 10 to Go
(6:41)  5. Too Much Sax
(6:04)  6. Woodstock
(5:15)  7. Soul Sause
(5:58)  8. Gnomesayin'
(7:14)  9. Alice in Wonderland
(5:48) 10. The Hero's Journey

This crisp, well-crafted, straight-ahead (mostly) set opens auspiciously, with tenor saxophonist Justo Almario wandering into the studio blowing solo, wailing, strolling around seemingly aimlessly; but you can feel there's a method to his melodic madness. About a minute later the bass throbs in behind him with repeated two note statements, followed by the drums, and finally the leader, George Kahn, appears, and the tune gels into the familiar "On Green Dolphin Street," in a finely focused up-tempo mode.

Kahn says playing a solo in front of this band—tenor and trumpet in front of a rhythm section, mostly is like driving a well-tuned Ferrari, and that's a pretty apt comparison for this sound: clean, synchronized, and lightly lubricated for an effortless forward momentum provided by the drive train/rhythm section.

"Mercedes the Lady" introduces Latin sounds. Kahn is adept in an array of styles here. "Compared to What" proves itself a funkier, harder-driving version of the Les McCann/Eddie Harris hit from '68, featuring vocalist Courtney Lemmon, whose soulful take on the lyrics show them to be as relevant in these turbulent times as they were in the late sixties. "5 to Get Ready 10 to Go" has a Kind of Blue -ish feel, with some marvelous mute work by trumpeter John Fumo.

Saxophonist Eric Marienthal sits in on two tunes. His tone, sharp and stinging, always brings a modern edge to the sound. I've loved his playing ever since I first heard it in Chick Corea's Elektric Band's Inside Out (GRP, '90); and he doesn't disappoint here. He just cooks, with a clean, high heat on "Too Much Sax," adding some fire to the title tune as well.

An excellent set, with different styles deftly mixed and held together by the stellar rhythm team behind a bunch of spirited blowing. The title tune alone is worth the price of admission, but then so are all the others. Kahn, piano; Alex Acuna, drums and percussion; and Brian Bromberg, bass: they've got to put out a trio set sometime. ~ Dan Mcclenaghan   

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15777#.Ur9FAbTJI0g

Personnel: George Kahn, piano; Alex Acuna, drums and percussion; Justo Almario,tenor and soprano saxophones; Brian Bromberg, bass; John Fumo, trumpet, flugelhorn; with guests Eric Marienthal, tenor and alto saxophones; Courtney Lemmon, vocal on "Compared to What";  Ira Ingler, guitar

...Compared To What

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George Kahn - Straight Ahead

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:32
Size: 145.5 MB
Styles: Piano jazz
Year: 2018
Art: Front

[4:40] 1. Rumour Has It
[5:37] 2. Work Song
[5:53] 3. Thieves In The Temple
[5:37] 4. Wonton Kelly
[5:31] 5. Can't Feel My Face
[4:07] 6. Roger Killowatt
[4:54] 7. Get Naked
[5:47] 8. Secrets
[4:19] 9. Thinking Out Loud
[6:11] 10. Dreamin'
[4:10] 11. Red's Riff
[6:42] 12. Follow Your Heart

George Kahn: piano; Alex Acuna: drums; Lyman Medeiros: bass.

Los Angeles-based pianist George Kahn likes to think of the standard piano trio format as a gateway drug into jazz. He may be right. Think of the classic trios, those of Red Garland, Nat "King" Cole, Bud Powell. Their sounds are addictive—and distinctively different—but they share the pared-down purity of purpose and relative simplicity of dynamic range that distills the listening experience to its essence. With that essence in mind, Kahn offers up the first trio outing of his career, Straight Ahead.

Kahn, who has been active in the Los Angeles jazz scene since the 1990s, has a charming accessibility. Catchy melodies and upbeat grooves are the name of the game with him. If he comes out of a school of the piano trio tradition, it must be the school of Ahmad Jamal. His sound is, like Jamal's, a straight ahead, unpertentious sea of sparkling effervescence, ebullient rhythms and life affirming positively. Refusing to stay with the expected jazz repertoire, Kahn and his trio-mates—drummer Alex Acuna and bassist Lyman Medeiros—open with pop singer Adele's "Rumor Has It," giving the tune a jaunty ride before they percolate into Nat Adderely's "Work Song," as a prelude to a dance-inducing take on Prince's "Thieves In The Temple." The trio also nods to some of the jazz legends with Kahn's original compositions: "Wonton Kelly" (Wynton Kelly, "Roger Killowatt" (Roger Kellaway), and "Red's Riff" (Red Garland), to offer up Kahn-tinted takes on the classic sounds of the legends. Kahn sounds right at home in the trio format, with the hihgly engaging Straight Ahead. ~Dan McClenaghan

Straight Ahead mc
Straight Ahead zippy

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George Kahn - Freedom Vessel...

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:57
Size: 139,7 MB
Art: Front

(5:44)  1. Millenium Schmellenium
(5:03)  2. Blues for Sonny
(4:59)  3. Evan's seven
(7:53)  4. Freedom vessel
(8:46)  5. Bill & Gil's excellent adventure
(4:52)  6. The way you do the things you do
(5:35)  7. One moment of your life
(5:33)  8. Samba by starlight
(3:30)  9. Over the rainbow
(4:09) 10. Strollin' (wif ma bebe)
(4:48) 11. The garden

Melodic jazz piano trio, music from the heart, direct to the hands. No drum machines, no synthesizers, playing live, real, in the moment. Music to listen to over and over again.Creating a time and place that is new, yet familiar. George Kahn is a jazz pianist who has played in and around Los Angeles for the last 20 years. His current group, "Party of Four" features M.B. Gordy on drums, Karl Vincent on Bass and Eric Marienthal on saxes. They will play anywhere that people will pay them to show up! George's misson in life is to return jazz to the glory days before synthesizers and drum machines raomed the earth.

Review by Phrygia, from MP3.com: OK, we are sickened by the amount of fun these guys are having. What's the matter with desolate guilt ridden music? Well, to tell you the truth, it sucks, so here we bring you some brassy jazz that wipes the cool off the mirror and hazes it up with something incredibly hot. George Kahn is what the teeming listeners would consider a 'mature' composer and musician, in the sense that he incorporates what we here in the Land of Phrygia Musical Appreciation and Phenomenal Artists College feel to be the most intense, if not the most difficult, music to master in the world. Classical music has cadence, structure, and is imprisoned or freed by the conductor. But when it comes to pure agility and stamina, Acid Jazz outshines any other genre in the abilities of the artists. That's where the crucial element comes in? Is it credible? For George, we would have to say no, it's not that credible. It's friggin' Incredible!  https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/gkahn3

Personnel:  George Kahn - Piano, Eric Marienthal - Saxes, Bobby Rodriguez on trumpet, Joe Labarbera on drums and Dave Carpenter on bass.

Freedom Vessel...

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George Kahn - Jazz Deluxe

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:32
Size: 141,0 MB
Art: Front

(5:41)  1. Bourbon Street Strut
(4:56)  2. Smooth Jazz Seven
(5:00)  3. Silver Blues
(6:40)  4. Miles Journey
(5:31)  5. Ritmo Jazz
(4:09)  6. Your Life
(5:29)  7. Summer Carnival
(4:44)  8. Dream Lover
(3:35)  9. El Rico Montuno
(6:18) 10. Riding On Air
(4:04) 11. Time Flyer
(5:19) 12. Havana Nights

A major force in the Los Angeles jazz community since the late 1990s, pianist-composer George Kahn recently released his sixth CD, Cover Up! Made available through his Playing Records label, Cover Up! features Kahn's trio with bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Alex Acuna, plus occasional guests. The brilliant lineup of players interprets four catchy originals as well as some surprising , recognizable rock tunes that are transformed into jazz. “People always respond to songs they know,” says George Kahn. “Thinking about it, I realized that I'd always wanted to create jazz versions of tunes that one does not normally hear in a jazz setting. Rather than perform ‘Stella By Starlight' or ‘Autumn Leaves' yet again, I thought it would be fun to play songs that I liked while I was growing up, usually from the late 1960s and early ‘70s and some newer tunes. I settled on songs by Cream, Pink Floyd, Bill Withers and John Mayer along with the Beatles.” Rather than performing watered-down versions of pop tunes, Kahn created arrangements that reinvented the songs as swinging and hip jazz. “‘Sunshine Of Your Love' was difficult initially, but when I played it in the studio with Brian Bromberg and Alex Acuna, it really jelled. 

‘Comfortably Numb' has a very open and interesting chord progression that allows it to work very well as a ballad. The first time I heard ‘Waiting On The World To Change,' I loved the song and realized that it was really a gospel tune although John Mayer does not play it like that. We slowed it down, added a couple of chord changes and there it was.” Also quite unusual is the meshing together of the Beatles' “Yesterday” and Jerome Kern's “Yesterdays.” Rather than play it as a conventional medley, the two songs are combined in a way that keeps listeners guessing as to which song is which. George Kahn has been playing with Brian Bromberg and Alex Acuna on an occasional basis since they met in 2004 and they formed the nucleus of his previous CD “…Compared To What?“ There is clearly a strong chemistry between the three of us. When I thought about doing a new album, they were the first musicians I thought of. I love playing with them, and the groove we get is so natural and infectious.” Tenor-saxophonist Justo Almario and trumpeter John Fumo, who are on four selections apiece, are old friends while the versatile guitarist Pat Kelley adds a great deal to the music on two cuts. Bill Withers' “Use Me” features the young singer Courtney Lemmon. “My wife is a vocal teacher and Courtney was one of her students when she was attending Santa Monica High School around eight years ago, She was also our babysitter at one time and had a great voice even then. She sang a song on my previous CD, studied at the New School in New York, moved back to the Los Angeles area a year ago, and was a natural to feature on the Bill Withers song.” 

George Kahn grew up in New Rochelle, New York, studying classical music from the age of nine. He began composing while in high school and was always interested in improvisational music, studying the music of Charles Ives, John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen as a Composition Major at Brandeis University. He did not start to explore jazz until his last years at Brandeis, being particularly affected by John Coltrane's Kulu Se Mama, which opened his mind towards what was possible in music. After graduating, he lived on Cape Cod for a couple of years, did some gigs in Boston, toured the East Coast with a disco band and eventually moved to California in 1976. “I decided that it was time to stop saying I was a musician and actually be one.” Kahn worked in an improvising New Age group for a few years, studied arranging with Spud Murphy, and performed in a variety of settings. In the latter half of the 1990s he made his move, forming the Playing Music label and Sudhana Music Publishing. Since then he has released six CDs. “Each of my albums features a wide range of styles which are tied together by my compositional and playing style. For my debut Out of Time, I decided to shoot high and get my dream drummer, Billy Higgins. After I talked him into working on the project, he recommended bassist Richard Reid. Everything fell into place after I got Billy. I was surprised to find out that he did not read music. But by the second run through, he had every song down. That guy had the biggest ears in the world, he was just phenomenal.” Next out was Conscious Dreams, an un-issued recording from 1985 that is more in the New Age vein, featuring George Kahn on all of the instruments. Freedom Vessel mostly has Kahn in a trio with the late bassist Dave Carpenter and drummer Joe LaBarbera, plus guest spots for altoist Eric Marienthal and Bobby Rodriguez. The emphasis is on the pianist's infectious originals. 

Midnight Brew uses Kahn's working trio of the time (with bassist Karl Vincent and drummer M.B. Gordy) as the nucleus behind such all-stars as Marienthal, Justo Almario, guitarist Larry Koonse, trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez and singer Tierney Sutton. The Kahn-Bromberg-Acuna trio appears for the first time on …Compared To What?, assisted by Almario, Marienthal, John Fumo and guitarist Ira Ingber. “Naturally I like to think that each CD is stronger than the previous one,” says the pianist. “It is like having building blocks, with each new project building on the ones of the past. One of Keith Jarrett's focuses is to be riff free, not constantly playing the riffs and phrases that you already know and instead concentrate on flowing improvisation. That is my aim in my playing.” George Kahn, who performs frequently in the Los Angeles area, including an annual Jazz For The Homeless fundraiser for the charity PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) and benefits for public school music programs, looks forward to touring again in the near future. “My main goal is to share my music with as many people as possible. I believe that there is a great deal of life in West Coast Jazz. It is not only viable but has the opportunity and ability to broaden its base. I purposely picked out songs that might get a John Mayer fan who has never heard a jazz album, to possibly explore this CD because they know some of the songs. I hope that Cover Up! will give more people a door into this wonderful music.” Both accessible and consistently creative, “Cover Up!” is George Kahn's finest recording to date, containing music that is difficult to resist. Bio ~ http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/georgekahn

Jazz Deluxe

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George Kahn - Jazz Deluxe

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:40
Size: 141.2 MB
Styles: West Coast jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[5:41] 1. Bourbon Street Strut
[4:56] 2. Smooth Jazz Seven
[5:01] 3. Silver Blues
[6:42] 4. Miles Journey
[5:32] 5. Ritmo Jazz
[4:10] 6. Your Life
[5:29] 7. Summer Carnival
[4:45] 8. Dream Lover
[3:35] 9. El Rico Montuno
[6:18] 10. Riding On Air
[4:05] 11. Time Flyer
[5:19] 12. Havana Nights

George Kahn, who performs frequently in the Los Angeles area, including an annual Jazz For The Homeless fundraiser for the charity PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) and benefits for public school music programs, looks forward to touring again in the near future. “My main goal is to share my music with as many people as possible. I believe that there is a great deal of life in West Coast Jazz. It is not only viable but has the opportunity and ability to broaden its base. I purposely pick out songs that might get a John Mayer fan who has never heard a jazz album, to possibly explore this CD because they know some of the songs.”

There is a fair amount of confusion about the term "West Coast Jazz". Some people would argue that West Coast Jazz is jazz recorded on the West Coast of California, from Los Angeles up to the San Francisco area. After all, some of Charlie Parker's most important recordings for Dial Records were made in LA, before and after he spent time "Relaxing at Camarillo". Wardell Grey, Teddy Edwards and Dexter Gordon all burned up the Central Avenue scene, playing bebop as bad as anyone on 52nd Street.

West Coast Jazz 2 Some would say the West Coast Jazz is not based on location, but more a certain sound. Many people go so far to call it a creation of the West Coast record companies in an attempt to "brand" and cash in on a style that, for a moment, caught the ear of the nation via Dave Brubeck's quartet with Paul Desmond, and the creative "little big band" sound of Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars.

I would posit that "West Coast Jazz" was (and is) really an attitude, a feeling, a "vibe" that could only originate in a place filed with palm trees, big, open horizons, ocean breezes and urbanity. It was an answer to the left turn that took place when the Big Bands died out and jazz starting chasing the Bird down the bebop trail. And it took the mix of the City and the Wild West to make it come together.

Jazz Deluxe

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George Kahn - Cover Up!

Styles: Straight-ahead/Mainstream
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:30
Size: 143,1 MB
Art: Front

(5:37)  1. Sunshine of Your Love
(5:20)  2. Wes' Coast
(3:47)  3. Mr. K. V.
(4:49)  4. Use Me
(5:25)  5. Eleanor Rigby
(6:41)  6. Mitchell's Blues
(6:50)  7. Cover Up!
(6:26)  8. Yesterday/Yesterdays
(6:03)  9. Comfortably Numb
(3:53) 10. Waiting on the World to Change
(7:34) 11. My Favorite Things

In the liner notes to Cover Up!, George Kahn discusses his goal of drawing upon the heritage of west coast jazz. For most people, this brings to mind Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, or the Lighthouse All Stars.

For Kahn, though, it means a particular way of portraying the popular songs of his youth tunes that fall outside the normal purview of jazz. On this disc, he provides graceful renditions of Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, John Mayer, and Bill Withers. Hence, as jazz updates of rock covers, Cover Up! is a coherent project.

In spite of the title's other potential meaning, everything on Kahn's album is perfectly overt. This is perhaps its greatest link to west coast jazz, which moved away from the intellectualism of New York bebop Dizzy Gillespie is largely responsible for the field of jazz education, and Charlie Parker absorbed Stravinsky in addition to the blues.

Whether it's Bill Withers' "Use Me," which he plays according to the original recording, or the jazz standard "Yesterdays," which he spins unexpectedly out of the melody of the John Lennon's "Yesterday," Kahn presents music not as a set of cerebral enigmas, but as something fun for both the listener and the player. In this sense, he touches on the visceral pleasure that is usually connected to rock more than jazz.

The playing, very much in the jazz idiom, is strong throughout. Kahn surrounds himself with other highly competent Los Angeles musicians. The most stand-out name on the set is Alex Acuna, formerly the percussionist for Weather Report. The finest playing, though, comes from bassist Brian Bromberg, who acquits himself as nicely on the bass-heavy 70s sound of "Use Me" as he does in an eloquent high-register solo on "Sunshine of Your Love."

In improvisation, Kahn's tendency is towards modal playing, which doesn't wholly fit with the traditions of west coast jazz. On "Sunshine of Your Love," "Wes' Coast," and a John Coltrane-style "My Favorite Things," he draws heavily from the language of Miles Davis circa Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959). "Wes' Coast," which Kahn explains as Wes Montgomery meets Miles Davis, draws equal parts from Davis' compositions "Milestones" and "So What." Although an excess of modal jazz can turn to an easy conceit, playing at length over such scales suits Kahn's voice: it is here that he sounds most urbane.

The strength of Cover Up! lies in its careful balance of originals, standards, and pop covers. With little alteration to the original recording, John Mayer's "Waiting On The World to Change" becomes a tasteful gospel appeal in the pianist's hands. But just as inspiring is the latin-beat "Mitchell's Blues," a wonderful, lively composition by Kahn, with great horn-work from Justo Almario and John Fumo. Throughout the album, Kahn uses breadth and accessibility to keep the listener thoroughly entertained. ~ Jay Deshpande  

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=31995#.UlmSaxDFpEM

Personnel: George Kahn: piano; Alex Acu

Cover Up!

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