Press Links
Press for Ghosts of Us
“Ghosts of Us, the second album from Chicago trumpeter Emily Kuhn, is notable for the consummate poise of its writing and performances. Fronting a stellar quintet, she leads with authority and exemplifies the kind of maturity one associates with a more seasoned player.”
—Ron Schepper, Textura
“‘Ghosts of Us’ sees Emily Kuhn making a real statement. No wonder the result is an album that’s so buoyant and brimming with personality.”
—John Parry, Backseat Mafia
“Faisant la part belle à la mélodie, avec un lyrisme assumé, Emily Kuhn et ses acolytes façonnent collectivement une tapisserie riche en détail et en texture dans laquelle pointe une forme d’ombre méditative qui épaissit le propos dans bien des compositions.” // “Giving priority to the melody, with an assumed lyricism, Emily Kuhn and her acolytes collectively fashion a tapestry rich in detail and texture in which a meditative shadow emerges that thickens the subject in many compositions.”
—Yves Dorison, CultureJazz
“Chicago's long been recognized as a well-spring of upper-echelon jazz talent, and Kuhn's a splendid ambassador in that regard. She distinguishes herself as a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader on this stellar sophomore effort and more than earns the accolades and attention that the release should bring.”
—Ron Schepper, Textura
“Chicago trumpeter Emily Kuhn makes the kind of lyrical, spacious jazz that draws you deep within its cocoon-like atmosphere.” ★★★★☆
—Matt Collar, All Music
“…it’s well worth joining them on the ride. Skov unfurls stunning solos on “Respire” and “When the World Is Young,” opening the latter with a brooding, eloquent guitar soliloquy. Cortiñas’s deft touch reaffirms his status as one of the great drummers in the city’s new guard. And throughout the album, Kuhn plays with the charm of a wizened storyteller, persuasively bringing it home on “Home,” the album’s closing ballad.”
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Reader
“Ghosts of Us es una invitación a sumergirse dentro de un sueño. Es de esos discos nocturnos para escucharse con audífonos, perderse un rato y escapar del frenesí del mundo exterior.” // “Ghosts of Us is an invitation to dive into a dream. It's one of those late-night records to listen to with headphones, get lost for a while and escape the frenzy of the outside world.”
—Antonio Becerril Romo, El Economista “Radar Mixtape”
“Over the piece’s six minutes, a timeless feeling sets in, moving through languid grooves, connecting dots of darkness and light. It’s infectious.”
—Brad Rose, Foxy Digitalis
Emily Kuhn Shares “Respire”: Ghettoblaster Press Release
Press for Sky Stories
“For her leader debut, Chicago trumpeter Emily Kuhn offers up a project of mostly originals, showcasing sonic combinations as varied as the horizon—and as promising as her talent.”
—Alexa Peters, DownBeat Magazine
“A very creative execution of calculated and improvisational skill, Kuhn pulls off an exceptional first record, as jazz, folk, classical, Latin and world influences are used strategically and flawlessly.”
“A kinetic, ambitiously orchestrated album from trumpeter Emily Kuhn”
—Delarue, New York Music Daily
“With all these components, two bands, string section, improvisational daring, a commitment to vocal, this record could have buckled under the weight of brilliant ideas, but it doesn’t. ‘Sky Stories’ comes together so naturally. It may emerge from a slightly different source to the hip-hop informed, beat driven swell in today’s jazz arena but it is equally refreshing. You get the feeling that Emily Kuhn is taking the jazz song tradition along a newly navigated stream and she may be only just at the beginning of the ride.”
—John Parry, Backseat Mafia
“In “Fit,” the quartet delivers free jazz in the manner of Ornette Coleman, a comparison that led me to contemplate the scope of Sky Stories as being reminiscent of Coleman circa his Science Fiction sessions. Did I mention Mercedes Inez Martinez’s vocals? How about the group singing in opener “Roses,” which briefly stirred thoughts of Andrew Hill’s Lift Every Voice? B+”
—Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District (“Graded on a Curve: New in Stores for October 2020, Part 6”)
“Kuhn's multi-dimensional music consistently engages the listener with its ever-evolving design, one of many reasons why this musical collection is so commendable.”
—Ron Schepper, Textura
“The superb Sky Stories is an auspicious beginning to a remarkable musical career. With it, Kuhn has made a bold artistic statement that is going to be hard to top. Given her tremendous talent on display here, however, that will be something she will easily achieve.”
—Hrayr Attarian, Chicago Jazz Magazine
“There’s a sense of classic songwriting in Roses, the melody is memorable and emotive, and especially in the opening section, backing vocals and Emily’s trumpet passes over times and beats giving it this beautiful off kilter feeling. As it moves into it’s bossa section, it moves you in that way that has you tapping feet, nodding head, smiling to yourself way that jazz can do. There’s some incredible work over the warm accompaniments there on in from Sax and Trumpet as it dances it’s playful way through.
Truly lovely stuff.”
—Jim F., Backseat Mafia
Press for Live Shows
“Your writing is sonorous and beautiful, unfurling in surprising ways, with full, delicious harmony!”
—Erol Tamerman, Thoughts and Observations from a Fellow Trumpet Player (Festival of New Trumpet Music)
“Emily Kuhn’s trumpet playing was spot on throughout the entire set adding a brilliant sound to an already passionate repertoire.”
—Aaron Pylinski, Chicago Crowd Surfer