Steve Kuhn Trio with Joe Lovano - Mostly Coltrane

American pianist Steve Kuhn’s established trio with bassist David Finck and drummer Joey Baron is expanded to a quartet with the addition of saxophonist Joe Lovano for this excellent project. Kuhn was briefly part of John Coltrane’s quartet in 1961, but takes a broader perspective on the great saxophonist’s output here. He draws material from various phases of Coltrane’s music, from re-workings of two standards to late modal explorations, with a couple of his own tunes thrown in.

As would be expected from his previous work, Kuhn adopts a lyrical as well as harmonically sophisticated approach, while Lovano serves up his customary power and invention as well as a deep empathy with the material. Their explorations pay respect to Coltrane’s towering legacy while revealing fresh facets of the chosen compositions.

(ECM Records)