Steve Kuhn - Dedication (1998)

The first of Steve Kuhn's several CDs for Reservoir is a multifaceted trio session with bassist David Finck and drummer Billy Drummond. Kuhn opens with a pair of enjoyable originals, the gliding post-bop "Dedication" and "The Zoo," cast as a melancholy bossa nova. He does justice to two compositions by bassist Steve Swallow, the well-known "Eiderdown" and the more obscure "Please Let Me Go," both of which prominently feature Finck's superb playing. His fresh, somewhat darker approach to Kenny Dorham's catchy "Blue Bossa" starts subtly but grows in intensity. Nor does the leader ignore standards. His bright, swinging take of "It's You or No One," the lush setting of "For Heaven's Sake," and a loping waltz treatment of "Like Someone in Love " all merit high praise. ~Ken dryden