Promises Kept

Promises Kept

ASIN: B000093OSO

Track Listings

1. Lullaby

2. Life's Backward Glance

3. Trance

4. Morning Dew

5. Promises Kept

6. Adagio

7. Celtic Princess

8. Nostalgia

9. Oceans in the Sky

10. Pastorale

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Performing and recording for more than 50 years, pianist Steve Kuhn has always displayed a quiet audaciousness. Hired at age 13 by baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, Kuhn then spent the rest of his teens working in Boston jazz clubs, backing everyone from Coleman Hawkins to Chet Baker. Further explorations found him folding European classicism into the mix. Promises Kept is the result of Kuhn's longstanding desire to record with strings (perhaps the promise referenced in the title was made to himself). The natural fit of his compositional inclinations, as well as his thoughtfully articulated playing, makes it clear why he's seen this desire through to fruition. Six new pieces composed specifically for this album are joined by four earlier ones (including the mesmerizing "Life's Backward Glance"), expanded here to allow for the added buoyancy of a 15-piece string section. Kuhn isn't merely a centerpiece here, he's a graceful component in its gentle orchestral sweep. --David Greenberger

Tracks:

Promises Kept
Looking Back
Next Year
Decisions Made
Miles to Go
Truth
Perspective
Failure
Decline
Break
Different Directions
Every Word

Customer Reviews:

good.......2006-07-27

while trial and brotherhood are both solid hxc veterans, champion has earned their position as one of the major powerhouses in hardcore. no need to bash a sincere hardcore band (check out their lyrics if you ever get around to it). they just recently broke up and it was nowhere near a silent break. i know the kids in seattle had fun at the last show. count our numbers and come out swinging are better albums than this release, but promises kept is not terrible either. you're into true hardcore, you know what hardcore is about...if you met those two standards, you'll like promises kept.

WHAT HAPPENED TO GOOD HARDCORE MUSIC.......2005-12-04

FIRST OFF, I AM 18 YEARS OLD. I KNEW I WOULD GET ALOT OF HATE MAIL FOR THIS REVIEW. I SAW THIS BAND PLAY LIVE ONE AFTERNOON AND PUT ON ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS IVE SEEN, AND IVE BEEN TO ALOT OF SHOWS. WELL AFTER THE SHOW, I WENT TO A CD STORE AND BOUGHT THIS CRAP. THAT SHOW WAS SO MISLEADING. THIS MUSIC IS SO TYPICAL NOWADAYS. YOU DONT HAVE GOOD BANDS LIKE UNIFORM CHOICE, SUPERTOUCH, BURN, STRIFE, TOKEN ENTRY, SIDE BY SIDE ETC... ANY MORE. WHAT HAPPENED? IF YOU WANT GOOD SEATTLE HARDCORE TRY TRIAL OR BROTHERHOOD, NOT THIS CRAP!

jaberwockies and space aliens.......2005-08-07

this band rules. aram looks like a turtle and jim is husky but handsome. buy this record or be a retard.

ALONE IN A CROWD!!!.......2005-05-10

Champion is easily one of the best punk-influenced hardcore bands out there today. You dont have to be straightedge to appreciate the build-up and explosion of the opening track, "Promises Kept" or any of the following 11 songs. It's short, about 22 minutes, but flawless, with many gang vocals, empowering lyrics, and a genuine raw power. Personally, I think its better than Comeback Kid, but whatever, Champion brings the goods so make sure to check it out.
Best Songs: Looking Back, Miles to Go, The Decline, Every Word

Who said it best? Brodie Holman did........2004-12-29

I couldn't agree more with Brodie Holman. Champions stripped down breed of hardcore brings to the table something that even the most unenthusiastic listen can appreciate. With obvious influences like Gorilla Biscuits, Reach the Sky and Youth of Today, and enough emotion to show that hardcore still has heart, and Straight Edge still means something, Champion has succeeded yet again. 'Promises Kept' picks up the pace. The contrast between the fast parts, and slow grooves, accompanied by bombastic gang vocals definitely keep the listening audience interested. If you are a fan of straight up hardcore, 'Promises Kept' IS your next purchase.

Average customer rating:

Would be simply awful . . .
It is the emotion in Kuhn's melodies that is the focal point
Superb & Tasteful
Would be simply awful . . .

Promises Kept
Steve Kuhn String Ensemble
Manufacturer: Ecm Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

ECM Classical | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

ECM Jazz & World | ECM Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Love Walked In
Trance
Quiereme Mucho
The October Suite
Three Waves

ASIN: B000093OSO
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

Lullaby
Life's Backward Glance
Trance
Morning Dew
Promises Kept
Adagio
Celtic Princess
Nostalgia
Oceans in the Sky
Pastorale

Amazon.com

Performing and recording for more than 50 years, pianist Steve Kuhn has always displayed a quiet audaciousness. Hired at age 13 by baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff, Kuhn then spent the rest of his teens working in Boston jazz clubs, backing everyone from Coleman Hawkins to Chet Baker. Further explorations found him folding European classicism into the mix. Promises Kept is the result of Kuhn's longstanding desire to record with strings (perhaps the promise referenced in the title was made to himself). The natural fit of his compositional inclinations, as well as his thoughtfully articulated playing, makes it clear why he's seen this desire through to fruition. Six new pieces composed specifically for this album are joined by four earlier ones (including the mesmerizing "Life's Backward Glance"), expanded here to allow for the added buoyancy of a 15-piece string section. Kuhn isn't merely a centerpiece here, he's a graceful component in its gentle orchestral sweep. --David Greenberger

Customer Reviews:

Would be simply awful . . ........2004-11-14

. . . if it weren't so great.

With more potholes than the Ike in March, a piano-bass-strings outing presents a way-dicey proposition.

But veteran piano meister and the intrepid lads at ECM are more than up to the task.

First things first.

ECM may be on their most sustained roll since the founding of the company well over three decades ago.

Consider:

Stellar releases from Thomasz Stanko, Arild Andersen (really, as much a Vassilis Tsabropoulos release as one from the putative bassist-leader), Marilyn Crispell, John Abercrombie--and now, Steve Kuhn.

Can anybody else top that? No one, I'm thinking, with the possible exception of Palmetto (Frahm/Mehldau, David Berkman, Fred Hersch, and Medicine Wheel).

But the sheer gorgeousness, musicality, and even chutzpah of ECM trumps Palmetto, if just barely.

What makes the ECM releases so special is their ravishing romanticism, pulled off, one must say, against all odds.

Look.

These discs from ECM are in that category, analogous to some stunningly beautiful women, of you're not allowed to look like that. You know what I mean, you guys out there (and, truth be told, you gals, too).

And Steve Kuhn's disc is the most beautiful of all.

Like I said earlier, this disc is disaster city if it ain't pulled off: cloying, unlistenable, saccharine strings desperately seeking to bolster wimped-out pianisms.

But Kuhn's just too great an artist to let that happen. A composer displaying grit and backbone, as well as ravishing romanticism, in his all-original compositions, he's given himself into the hands of brilliant interpreters here (notably, Carlo Franzetti, arranger, and the incredibly sensitive and responsive string ensemble).

The result is gorgeous melodicism situated in the context of finely wrought structure: like the most carefully crafted Belgian beer set down on lees, coming out of its decades-old aged bottle in finest fettle.

This is what happens when a visionary (in this case, Manfred Eicher, president of ECM) plies his trade, perfects his concept, and then serendipitously encounters magnanimity in his greatest artists--

Genius.

Simply spectacular, and not to be found anywhere else.

It is the emotion in Kuhn's melodies that is the focal point.......2004-10-06

"I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of jazz "with strings" records that 'work' for me. This is a somewhat mysterious phenomenon as jazz and improvised music is food to me. As necessary as oxygen. Along those lines, a good string quartet is a thing not only of beauty...it is beauty."

"But then you go and mix these things together and, well, they don't wanna mix. Here I'm thinking of many of the musics labeled "Third Stream". This was jazz mixed with classical. In its more knotty forms it was a load of fun. But sometimes, that stuff just didn't want to be blended and the result was dense, turgid and waaaay too serious."

"There are of course, counterexamples in jazz. Take Charlie Parker with Strings. It's basically flawless. I mean, it is Charlie Parker."

"So, you might be thinking: Steve Kuhn? Yea, not exactly a household name to the casual jazz fan. This is too bad though, as Kuhn has written some fantastic music over the years and has played and recorded with an impressive list of jazz stars including Kenny Dorham, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Steve Swallow, Tom Harrell and Joey Baron."

"Promises Kept features seven new compositions written with string arrangements in mind, as well as three older Kuhn pieces reworked for that context. What makes this album 'work' is Kuhn's romantic & expressive melodies and chord structures. The melodies, with Kuhn at the piano, really do 'tell a story'. So much so that the string arrangements fit effortlessly. This was not accidental. From Bob Blumenthal's (excellent as always) liner notes:

While the rhythmic power of his music is represented by "Trance" and "Oceans in the Sky", it is the emotion in Kuhn's melodies that is the focal point here. "As I've gotten older and gone through deaths and losses, as well as open heart surgery, and at the same time come to appreciate the love and the positive influences in my life, I find myself responding more emotionally."

"Kuhn goes on to say that the strings seem to bring out the emotion in the music. I couldn't agree more. This is a sort of musical travelog through Steve Kuhn's life. It obviously means a lot to him, but we can all take something from it."

Posted on Mark Is Cranky

Superb & Tasteful.......2004-06-03

I agree with Jan Dennis's review. Great album-- more
in the realm of 'instrumental' like the great arrangers like Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and such, but also contemporary.
Kuhn also reworks some of his earlier pieces to fit format
well. Great at what it is IMO.

Would be simply awful . . ........2004-06-01

. . . if it weren't so great.

With more potholes than the Ike in March, a piano-bass-strings outing presents a way-dicey proposition.

But veteran piano meister and the intrepid lads at ECM are more than up to the task.

First things first.

ECM may be on their most sustained roll since the founding of the company well over three decades ago.

Consider:

Stellar releases from Thomasz Stanko, Arild Andersen (really, as much a Vassilis Tsabropoulos release as one from the putative bassist-leader), Marilyn Crispell, John Abercrombie--and now, Steve Kuhn.

Can anybody else top that? No one, I'm thinking, with the possible exception of Palmetto (Frahm/Mehldau, David Berkman, Fred Hersch, and Medicine Wheel).

But the sheer gorgeousness, musicality, and even chutzpah of ECM trumps Palmetto, if just barely.

What makes the ECM releases so special is their ravishing romanticism, pulled off, one must say, against all odds.

Look.

These discs from ECM are in that category, analogous to some stunningly beautiful women, of you're not allowed to look like that. You know what I mean, you guys out there (and, truth be told, you gals, too).

And Steve Kuhn's disc is the most beautiful of all.

Like I said earlier, this disc is disaster city if it ain't pulled off: cloying, unlistenable, saccharine strings desperately seeking to bolster wimped-out pianisms.

But Kuhn's just too great an artist to let that happen. A composer displaying grit and backbone, as well as ravishing romanticism, in his all-original compositions, he's given himself into the hands of brilliant interpreters here (notably, Carlo Franzetti, arranger, and the incredibly sensitive and responsive string ensemble).

The result is gorgeous melodicism situated in the context of finely wrought structure: like the most carefully crafted Belgian beer set down on lees, coming out of its decades-old aged bottle in finest fettle.

This is what happens when a visionary (in this case, Manfred Eicher, president of ECM) plies his trade, perfects his concept, and then serendipitously encounters magnanimity in his greatest artists--

Genius.

Tracks:

Lullaby
Life's Backward Glance
Trance
Morning Dew
Promises Kept
Adagio
Celtic Princess
Nostalgia
Oceans in the Sky
Pastorale

Average customer rating:

This band suks
Finally something refreshing

Promises Made, Promises Kept
Spark of Life
Manufacturer: Lorelei
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00009VTXY
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Tracks:

From Ash Rises Hope
Counting Seconds
Welcome Home Relax and Slow Down
For Every Action
Hooks Every Foot
Has Anyone Seen the Manual
Take from Me
Intellectual Bankruptcy
Despite What You Think
For What Used to Be
Victory and Pass
Sounds of Giving Up

Customer Reviews:

This band suks.......2004-04-20

I saw this band's music video 'Counting Seconds' on a Christian music video channel. I liked it alot and decieded to buy the cd. I was horribly disapointed to find out that this band is NOT Christian in ANY way, shape or form. There's swearing all over this album. The 'f' word, the 's' word, calling people a-holes. This cd stinks. Stay away from false teachers...

Finally something refreshing.......2003-10-23

Great cd a must buy- these guys are going to blow up. Compare to good riddance but so much more to offer. Great cd all the way through!

Average customer rating:

Summer of Promises Kept

Manufacturer: At Dusk
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Southern Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CAAPX0
Release Date: 2004-02-17

Tracks:

The Deep End
Sports
Rain In The House
Pan
Tilted Floors (Were All We Knew)
Up On Persephone
The Image
When You're Far Away
The Summer of Promises Kept
Seventeen Fever Dreams
East/West Party
What May Have Been The Sun
Reid's Song
I Am The Starman

Jazz Music:

Jazz Music

Jazz Music