Promises Kept is an album by American jazz pianist and composer Steve Kuhn—credited to Steve Kuhn with Strings—recorded in 2000 and released on ECM in April 2004. Kuhn is backed by bassist David Finck and a fifteen-strong string ensemble conducted by Carlos Franzetti.
Contents
Reception
The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4½ stars stating "this is one of the finest recordings Kuhn has ever issued. Simply put, for all the decades spent adventuring on the boundaries where various traditions blur, the pianist and composer articulate direct emotion as the most effective communicator here, no matter what terrain is navigated in form. A breathtaking and intimate outing, this is a career-topping effort."
Personnel
Steve Kuhn with Strings
Steve Kuhn – piano
David Finck – double-bass
Carlos Franzetti – conductor
Krista Bennion Feeney, Elizabeth Lim-Dutton, Richard Sortomme, Karl Kawahara, Barry Finclair, Helen Kim, Robert Shaw, Carol Pool, Anca Nicolau – violins
Sue Pray, Vince Lionti, Karen Ritscher – violas
Stephanie Cummins, Richard Locker, Joshua Gordon – celli
Technical personnel
Arthur Moorhead – producer
Jan Erik Kongshaug, Manfred Eicher – remixing, mastering
Gary Chester – recording engineer
Yvonne Yedibalian – assistant recording engineer
Sascha Kleis – design
Liner Notes – Bob Blumenthal – liner notes
Dieter Rehm – cover photography
Robert Lewis – liner photography