Steve Khan (original) (raw)

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American jazz guitarist (born 1947)

Steve Khan
Background information
Birth name	Steven Harris Cahn
Born	(1947-04-28) April 28, 1947 (age 77)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician, producer
Instrument	Guitar
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Columbia, Novus, Antilles, Denon, GRP, Mesa/Bluemoon, Verve, Evidence, Tone Center
Website	stevekhan.com

Musical artist

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

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] Early in his career, Khan changed the spelling of his surname in order to "create a separate identity from [his] famous father" and because he was "so hurt and angry with him for so many childhood things."[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

He has also produced recordings for fellow guitarists Larry Coryell, Mike Stern, Biréli Lagrène, and Bill Connors, as well as pianist Eliane Elias.[6]

• 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)[6]

• 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)

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. ^ "Steve Khan "JAZZIZ" 20 Questions". Stevekhan.com.
4. ^ Collar, Matt. "Steve Khan". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
5. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Evidence". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
6. ^ a b "Steve Khan Biography". Stevekhan.com. Retrieved 30 September 2016.

• Official website