George Kahn – Cover Up!

This release has 7 cover tunes, and 4 originals. Brian Bromberg, Alex Acuna and Kahn perform 6 of the 11 songs as a piano trio. Bromberg plays “downright upright” bass on the album as well as co-producing. For the horns on this album Kahn called on Justo Almario and John Fumo. Justo and Alex Acuna go way back, and they know how to get inside the rhythm.

“Wes’ Coast” is a tribute to the old Riverside recordings that Wes Montgomery did and features Pat Kelley on guitar. “Use Me” features some funky vocal work by Courtney Lemmon on vocals – Courtney also helped out on the “…Compared To What?” CD. 

Other covers include “Eleanor Rigby”, the well-known Beatles tune, the classic rock tune by CREAM “Sunshine Of Your Love”, “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd, the Lennon/McCartney classic “Yesterday” the jazz chestnut “Yesterdays” by Jerome Kern and the evocative “Waiting On the World To Change” from John Mayer.

“Mr. K. V.”. is an original dedicated to Kahn’s favorite LA acoustic bass player, Karl Vincent. After a jagged unison melody line, it settles into a swinging feel over blues changes. This song was inspired by John Coltrane’s tribute to his long-time bass player, Paul Chambers (Mr. P.C.).

“Cover Up!”, the title song of the album, is the most contemporary sounding track of the collection, and it features Justo on tenor and Pat on electric guitar. Sexy and funky, it carries the listener on a little 24-bar journey as it moves through a few different tonal centers. This one is also inspired by Miles Davis, but a later incarnation, after he started experimenting with electric instruments.