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Steve Khan

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Steve Khan
Background information
Birth nameSteven Harris Cahn
Born (1947-04-28) April 28, 1947 (age 77)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)Musician, producer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1969–present
LabelsColumbia, Novus, Antilles, Denon, GRP, Mesa/Bluemoon, Verve, Evidence, Tone Center
Websitestevekhan.com

Steve Khan (born Steven Harris Cahn; April 28, 1947)[1] is an American jazz guitarist.

Career

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Steven Harris Cahn was born in Los Angeles.[1] His father, lyricist Sammy Cahn, "loved to hear any and all versions of his songs".[2] He took piano lessons as a child and played drums for the surf rock band the Chantays.[2] The band's guitarist exposed him to the albums Tough Talk by The Crusaders and Movin' Wes by Wes Montgomery. In his late teens he quit the drums and started playing guitar.[2] He was a member of the R&B band Friends of Distinction, recorded with keyboardist Phil Moore, then played on the album Bullitt by Wilton Felder ("one of my heroes"). Despite his father's advice to avoid a career in the music business, he graduated from UCLA with a degree in music composition and theory.[2]

In the early 1970s, he performed in an acoustic guitar duo with Larry Coryell and was a member of the Brecker Brothers band.[2] As a session musician, he appeared on albums by Ashford & Simpson, Rupert Holmes, Billy Joel, and Steely Dan.[3] He was signed to Columbia Records through the efforts of Bobby Colomby and Bob James. On his first three albums Tightrope (1977), The Blue Man (1978), and Arrows (1979), he was trying "to single-handledly keep alive the sound of the original Brecker Brothers band."[2] His next album was Evidence (1980), which contained an eighteen-minute medley of songs by Thelonious Monk.[4]

He has also produced recordings for fellow guitarists Larry Coryell, Mike Stern, Biréli Lagrène, and Bill Connors, as well as pianist Eliane Elias.[5]

Awards and honors

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  • Grammy Award nomination, Local Color (1987)
  • Grammy Award nomination, Borrowed Time (2007)
  • Named to list of "22 All-Time Greatest Jazz Guitarists", Jazz Life magazine (1998)[5]

Discography

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As leader

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Release date Title Label Musicians
1977 Two for the Road Arista Acoustic guitar duo with Larry Coryell
1977 Tightrope Tappan Zee With the Brecker Brothers, Steve Gadd, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, Jeff Mironov, Ralph MacDonald.
1978 The Blue Man CBS line-up similar to 1977
1979 Arrows Columbia similar to 1977, Rick Marotta, Gadd, Mounsey, Errol "Crusher" Bennett. David Sanborn on two tracks.
1980 Evidence Arista Novus Solo guitar with compositions by Wayne Shorter, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk.
1981 Eyewitness Antilles Eyewitness quartet with Anthony Jackson, Steve Jordan, Manolo Badrena.
1985 Modern Times Polydor Eyewitness quartet. Recorded live in Tokyo, Japan.
1984 Casa Loco Antilles Eyewitness quartet.
1987 Helping Hand Polydor Eyewitness quartet plus Bill Evans, Clifford Carter, Neil Jason, Christopher Parker, Café, Japan only release.
1987 Local Color Passport Duo with Rob Mounsey.
1989 Public Access GRP Eyewitness quartet as Khan, Anthony Jackson, Manolo Badrena, Dave Weckl.
1991 Let's Call This Blue Moon Trio with Ron Carter and Al Foster.
1992 Headline Blue Moon Trio with Carter and Foster.
1994 Crossings PolyGram Eyewitness quartet
1994 The Collection Columbia Best Of from the Columbia years 1977-79
1997 Got My Mental Evidence Trio with John Patitucci and Jack DeJohnette plus four percussionists: Café, Bobby Allende, Don Alias, Marc Quiñones.
1998 You Are Here SIAM Records Duo with Rob Mounsey featuring Marc Quiñones.
1999 New Horizons Concord Picante Records Co-Leader with Dave Samuels and Dave Valentin.
2000 Paraíso Concord Picante Records Co-Leader with Dave Samuels and Dave Valentin.
2005 The Green Field Tone Center Quartet with Patitucci, DeJohnette, Badrena, plus Roberto Quintero and Ralph Irizarry.
2007 Borrowed Time Tone Center Sextet with Patitucci, DeJohnette, Badrena, Quintero, Irizarry.
2008 The Suitcase: Live in Köln '94 Tone Center Eyewitness trio with Dennis Chambers and Anthony Jackson.
2011 Parting Shot Tone Center Eyewitness quartet plus Allende, Quiñones.
2014 Subtext Tone Center Quintet with Chambers, Allende, Quiñones, Rubén Rodriguez.
2015 Tightrope-The Blue Man-Arrows BGO Records(UK) The Columbia Years 1977-79.
2016 Eyewitness-Modern Times-Casa Loco BGO Records(UK) Eyewitness from 1981-83 w/ Anthony Jackson, Steve Jordan & Manolo Badrena
2017 Backlog Tone Center Featuring Allende, Quiñones, Rodriguez, Mark Walker, Mounsey, Randy Brecker, Mintzer, Mainieri, Tatiana Parra.
2018 Public Access-Headline-Crossings BGO Records(UK) Eyewitness from 1989-94.
2019 Patchwork Tone Center Featuring Allende, Quiñones, Rodriguez, Chambers, Mounsey, Randy Brecker, Mintzer, Tatiana Parra, Jorge Estrada.
2022 Island Letter Blue Canoe Featuring: Mark Kibble, Rob Mounsey, Rubén Rodríguez and Marc Quiñones.

As sideman

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Date Main recording artist Album Label Notes
1974 Czesław Niemen Mourner's Rhapsody CBS Records International released 1974 in West Germany, 1975 in UK an 1976 in US (by Import Records)
1975 Luther Allison Night Life Tamla Motown
1977 Ashford & Simpson Send It
1977 Ashford & Simpson So So Satisfied
1979 Ashford & Simpson Stay Free
1976 Patti Austin End of a Rainbow
1977 Patti Austin Havana Candy
1979 Gato Barbieri Euphoria A&M Khan on one track
1975 Joe Beck Beck Kudu Khan as second guitarist
1979 Joe Beck & David Sanborn Beck & Sanborn Kudu, CTI
1976 George Benson/Joe Farrell Benson & Farrell CTI Khan on two tracks
1977 Walter Bishop Jr. Soul Village
1976 Brecker Brothers Back to Back
1977 Brecker Brothers Don't Stop the Music
1969 Tim Buckley Blue Afternoon
2000 Caribbean Jazz Project New Horizons
2001 Caribbean Jazz Project Paraiso
2000 Jimmy Cobb So Nobody Else Can Hear
1977 Billy Cobham Inner Conflicts
1978 Billy Cobham Alivemutherforya
1978 Billy Cobham Simplicity of Expression
2007 Paula Cole Courage
1975 Larry Coryell Level One Arista 12-string guitar on title track
1975 Larry Coryell Planet End Vanguard Guest appearance
1976 Larry Coryell Aspects Arista Guest appearance on acoustic guitar
1989 Eddie Daniels Blackwood
1989 Miles Davis Amandla Warner
1992 Mark Egan Beyond Words
1989 Elements Liberal Arts
1982 Donald Fagen The Nightfly Acoustic guitar on "New Frontier"
1969 Wilton Felder Bullitt
1977 Maynard Ferguson New Vintage
1985 Aretha Franklin Who's Zoomin' Who?
1989 Aretha Franklin Through the Storm
1982 Michael Franks Objects of Desire
1985 Michael Franks Skin Dive
1987 Michael Franks The Camera Never Lies
1993 Michael Franks Dragonfly Summer
1999 Michael Franks Barefoot on the Beach
1982 Randy Goodrum Fool's Paradise Polydor
1976 Grant Green The Main Attraction
1976 Freddie Hubbard Windjammer
1977 Bob James Heads Tappan Zee/Columbia
1979 Bob James Lucky Seven Tappan Zee/Columbia
1981 Bob James Sign of the Times Tappan Zee/Columbia
1981 Bob James All Around the Town Tappan Zee/Columbia
1983 Bob James The Genie: Themes & Variations
from the TV Series "Taxi"		 Tappan Zee/Columbia
1983 Bob James Foxie Tappan Zee/Columbia
1984 Bob James 12 Tappan Zee/Columbia
1987 Bob James Obsession Warner Bros.
1995 Bob James The Swan Tappan Zee/Columbia
1977 Billy Joel The Stranger Columbia
1978 Billy Joel 52nd Street Columbia
1980 Chaka Khan Naughty
1976 Hubert Laws Romeo & Juliet Columbia Khan on one track
1977 Kenny Loggins Celebrate Me Home
1981 Mike Mainieri Wanderlust Warner Bros.
1976 Steve Marcus Sometime Other Than Now
1992 Mendoza/Mardin Project Jazzpaña
2005 Jason Miles Cozmopolitan Jason Miles Khan on one track. Self-released recording from 1979.
1969 Phil Moore Jr. Right On Atlantic
1977 Walter Murphy Rhapsody in Blue Private Stock Khan on two tracks.
1978 Pages Pages
1978 Eddie Palmieri Euphoria
1975 Esther Phillips w/Beck What a Diff'rence a Day Makes Kudu, CTI Khan on rhythm guitar
1976 Esther Phillips Capricorn Princess Kudu, CTI Khan on three tracks.
1976 Esther Phillips with Beck For All We Know Kudu, CTI Khan on rhythm guitar.
1989 Lou Rawls At Last Blue Note Khan on three tracks.
1990 Lou Rawls It's Supposed to Be Fun Blue Note Khan on three tracks.
1997 Philippe Saisse Next Voyage
1996 Salt & Sugar -Concerts- Fun House Khan on two tracks.
1989 Dave Samuels Ten Degrees North
1998 Dave Samuels Tjader-ized: A Cal Tjader Tribute
1975 David Sanborn Taking Off Warner Bros. Khan is main guitarist here and wrote two of the nine tracks.
1978 Helen Schneider Let It Be Now
1985 Diane Schuur Deedles
1988 Diane Schuur Talkin' 'Bout You
1980 Don Sebesky Sebesky Fantasy
1993 John Sebastian Tar Beach
1978 Ben Sidran Live at Montreux Arista
1984 Ben Sidran Bop City Antilles, Baybridge
1993 Ben Sidran Life's a Lesson Go Jazz
2013 Janis Siegel Nightsongs: A Late Night Interlude
1977 Phoebe Snow Never Letting Go
1978 Phoebe Snow Against the Grain
1977 Steely Dan Aja Khan on one track.
1980 Steely Dan Gaucho
1989 Steps Ahead N.Y.C.
1992 Steps Ahead Yin-Yang
1988 Mike Stern Time in Place
1999 Dave Valentin Sunshower
1976 Grover Washington Jr. A Secret Place
1989 Kirk Whalum The Promise
2005 Joe Zawinul Weather Update
2003 Guillermo Carrasco Una a la vez eMG Khan on guitar, tracks El Camino, El Arbol, Lucía.

Books

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  • Pentatonic Khancepts (Alfred Music, 2002)
  • Contemporary Chord Khancepts (Alfred Music, 1996)
  • Wes Montgomery Guitar Folio (Jamey Aebersold, 1973)
  • Pat Martino: The Early Years (Alfred Music, 1991)

References

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  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1362. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Yanow, Scott (2013). The Great Jazz Guitarists. San Francisco: Backbeat. p. 109. ISBN 978-1-61713-023-6.
  3. ^ Collar, Matt. "Steve Khan". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Evidence". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Steve Khan Biography". Stevekhan.com. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
[edit]
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