Steve Khan - 1992 "Headline"

Recorded in '92, "HEADLINE" brought the trio with Ron Carter & Al Foster back together, but, once again Polydor K.K.(Japan) had their own ideas about the direction I should pursue. Go Steve!This time, in addition to the trio tracks, they wanted me to record with the Eyewitness instrumentation. As Anthony Jackson, Dennis Chambers and I had been touring Europe as a trio, it was easy to add Manolo Badrena to the mix, and this VERY special chemistry came back to us without missing a beat. The CD, which was released in the USA on Bluemoon Records, presents the contrast of these two formats and, for some fans of Eyewitness, it turned to be a great thing that they could hear us playing 'odd-ball' standards as opposed to our own unique original compositions. Like "LET'S CALL THIS" the music is drawn from the great jazz of the mid-'60s. "Autumn in Rome" was only the 2nd tune by my late father which I recorded. It's a pretty obscure piece, but, that's why I chose it. Along with so much of the other material, I try to select tunes which most guitarists don't play as a rule. Though there are many special moments from both configurations of personnel on this recording, I am especially pleased with the performance of "All of Nothing at All," which demonstrates the scope and depth of Dennis Chambers' drumming, and Eyewitness-like interplay from everyone. Joe Henderson's "Caribbean Fire Dance" shows that Anthony and Dennis have developed their own very special way of making music together, and the 'free' Intro to Ornette Coleman's "Turnaround" gives them further room to explore this chemistry.

Guitarist Steve Khan is heard in two different settings on this CD: in an acoustic trio with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Al Foster on six songs, and jamming with electric bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Dennis Chambers and percussionist Manolo Badrena on three tunes. Actually, there is a definite unity to the program, and Khan is featured on a variety of jazz tunes including numbers by Larry Young, Ornette Coleman ("The Blessing" and "Turnaround"), Clare Fischer, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk and Joe Henderson. He even plays a song ("Autumn In Rome") by his father, Sammy Cahn. The guitarist consistently stretches himself during these performances (which include a 10½-minute version of "All or Nothing at All") and is heard throughout at his most creative.

Track listing:

 [1] Tyrone(Larry Young)(5:54)
 [2] The Blessing(Ornette Coleman)(4:45)
 [3] Autumn in Rome(Sammy Cahn-Paul Weston)(6:31)
 [4] Turnaround(Ornette Coleman)(6:42)
 [5] Ontem a Noite(Clare Fischer)(5:52)
 [6] Water Babies(Wayne Shorter)(5:00)
 [7] All or Nothing at All(Jack Lawrence-Arthur Altman)(10:41)
 [8] Hackensack(Thelonious Monk)(5:23)
 [9] Caribbean Fire Dance(Joe Henderson)(8:06)

Personnel:

Guitar – Steve Khan
Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: 4,7,9), Ron Carter (tracks: 1,2,3,5,6,8)
Drums – Al Foster (tracks: 1,2,3,5,6,8), Dennis Chambers (tracks: 4,7,9)
Percussion – Manolo Badrena (tracks: 4,7,9)