1.1
|
Firewalk
Steve Kuhn |
8:08 | |||
1.2
|
Random Thoughts
Steve Kuhn |
8:11 | |||
1.3
|
A Dance With The Wind
Steve Kuhn |
5:52 | |||
1.4
|
The Fruit Fly
Steve Kuhn |
5:57 | |||
1.5
|
Alias Dash Grapey
Steve Kuhn |
11:56 |
Steve Kuhn is the all-purpose element: his presence heightens any musical concoction. Like no jazz pianist I know, he is aware of the negative spaces between his notes and shapes those spaces to suit the emotional needs of the tune. And what a set of tunes we have in Non-Fiction, a sorely out-of-print firecracker in dire need of a digital fuse.
Speaking of conflagration, nothing singes our brow in any Kuhn project quite like “Firewalk,” which, despite its characteristically spacious feel, is clear and present (I bow to the uncredited engineer on this one). Kuhn accolades aside, it’s the sopranism of reedman Steve Slagle that really sets these coals to glowing and cradles every assured step in the liberation of play. Bob Moses and Harvie Swartz—an ideally suited rhythm section if there ever was one—lock the “Random Thoughts” that follow into lively traction. Slagle opts for flute and alto sax over a constantly shifting sonic palette. Whenever he isn’t breathing, he keeps his hands busy with additional percussion.
“A Dance With The Wind” and “The Fruit Fly” reverse the scales with a collective dose of whimsy and nostalgia. Swartz is simply fantastic here, weaving deftly through Kuhn’s canvas of vamps with distinct yet harmonious brushstrokes of its own. If anything has been missing so far, we find it all collected in “Alias Dash Grapey,” which has it all: a sweeping piano intro, replete with unrestrained cries from Kuhn, a spirited collage of solos (Moses ever palpable), and a deep sense of communication.
This is a tight album with plenty to unpack through repeated listening. Its energies fluctuate in volume, but always to the beat of Kuhn’s erudite dictation.
96 kHz / 24-bit PCM – ECM Records Studio Masters
Tracks 1-5 – contains high-resolution digital transfers of material originating from an analogue master source
Tracks 1-5 – contains high-resolution digital transfers of material originating from an analogue master source
Track title | Peak (dB FS) | RMS (dB FS) | LUFS (integrated) | DR | |
Album average Range of values | -2.20 -4.29 to -1.24 | -22.16 -24.66 to -19.75 | -18.72 -21.50 to -16.60 | 12 12 to 13 | |
1 | Firewalk | -1.99 | -19.75 | -16.6 | 12 |
2 | Random Thoughts | -1.68 | -22.26 | -18.4 | 13 |
3 | A Dance With The Wind | -4.29 | -24.66 | -21.5 | 12 |
4 | The Fruit Fly | -1.24 | -21.40 | -18.1 | 12 |
5 | Alias Dash Grapey | -1.79 | -22.74 | -19.0 | 13 |