sh review
"[Gentle Giant tribute] Giant Tracks contributor Steve Hahn is quite the multi-instrumentalist: a proficient guitarist, bassist, trumpeter and now Chapman Stick performer. sh runs the gamut of forceful ("Bakedo") & delicate ("The Swans at Coole"), Hahn deriving those textures the Stick is typically known for, channelling melodies and rhythms concurrently; for those wondering if any comparisons to Tony Levin or Greg Howard can be drawn, Hahn has pretty much made the Stick his own. "Suite Vignette" is ... one of the most adventurous and agressive cuts, with definite Levinisms -- some of the most uniquely -- "Stick" tones ever heard emerge here. sh is a fine example of craftsmanship, and the Chapman Stick's popularity and (along with its users) predisposition for unbound versatility is unceasing."
- Elias Granillo, Sea of Tranquility, March 23, 2003

"...this album has a live improvised flow, one idea seeming to spawn the next. What stands out is Steve's adventurous sense of harmonic movement and his youthful rhythm games and constructs, odd accents in odd meters between Stick and drums. To my ears there's a consistent artistic concept at work just behind this versatile exhibition of Stick sounds and songs... This album is fun to listen to, never boring, not self-consciously "serious", and mainly features The Stick. It is my distinct pleasure to review "sh"."
- Emmett [Chapman] - Sticknews digest issue #020, October 1998

"This is the first new CD [sh] from Steve Hahn of original music in a number of years, and I have to say that it is definately worth the wait and it covers lots of new ground, compared with "Stickburst", his last CD. As always, Steve's technique is astonishing and unique.  Like other Stick players who are technically at that stratospheric level, he has techniques that are all his own, a unique personal sound. All of the pieces are really advanced, compositionally... In summary, let me say this is not an easy listening new age record, rather a great Stick record with forward looking compositions.  If you liked "Stickburst" this is more music from the same player, but 5 years more advanced. Highly recommended."
- Ray Ashley, Hopewell, NJ - Stickwire,July 1998

"There is only a handful of true masters of the instrument [Chapman Stick]. One is local musician Steve Hahn, who recently released an impressive display of The Stick's harmonic and self-accompanying capabilities called Stickburst."
- David Kirby, Colorado Daily

"[Hahn] is an innovative and well-directed musical artist on this instrument. . . . He has exceptional talent as well as innovative directions to his music. . . . Each of his recorded songs is an individual production and well-grounded conceptually."
- Emmett Chapman, inventor of The Chapman StickŪ

" 'Harmonic Poem' [one of the compositions on Stickburst] [is] an absolutely gorgeous piece. The entire piece is played with harmonics, giving it a beautiful ringing timbre. . . . Great composition. I'm glad to hear someone use the harmonics technique and run with it."

About the Gentle Giant medley on Stickburst,"Steve displays amazing technique on this cover, using intricate two-part playing covering all ten strings with clean, fast bass lines followed by lush chords, then a beautiful double melody on the treble strings."

" 'Funk Potpourri' is an ambitious, multisectioned composition displaying a wide range of Steve's playing techniques: arpeggiated chords, double-handed bass lines, crossing over the fingerboard of the right and left hands, funky bass with right hand chords, and his wide dynamic range. A powerful closeout to a great CD."
- Frank Jolliffe, TS Publications

"This album takes The Stick to a new level, rhythmically. Rapid, odd meter, chord barrages are exchanged between the left and right hands. . . . His trumpet playing is more than just a gimmick, it really adds to the musical texture."
- Stick player Ray Ashley reviewing Stickburst on the Internet

"Although The Stick (a/k/a Chapman Stick) has been around for over 20 years now, there have only been a handful of recordings centered around this intriguing instrument. One of the most recent of these is Steve Hahn's Stickburst, a literal Stick-fest that showcases just how much can be accomplished with two hands on ten strings. Rather than using the album as a blatant attempt at showing off, Steve chooses to exploit his abilities in a very musical fashion, augmenting many of the arrangements with his trumpet (he can actually play both instruments simultaneously!) and a drummer. The disc's 12 tracks are divided almost evenly between thoughtful originals and an interesting collection of cover tunes (including cuts from the Beatles, Weather Report, George Gershwin, and Gentle Giant). Stickburst is highly recommended to all fans of instrumental music, as well as those who are in the mood for something a little different."
- Alan Benjamin, Time and a Word, Fall 1995

"Steve Hahn . . . is one of the most amazing musicians in the area. He plays a unique instrument called The Chapman Stick. . . . While playing bass with one hand and guitar with the other, he blows into a trumpet mounted on a microphone stand while controlling the valves on the trumpet with his feet. It's absolutely astounding, something that you must see to believe!"
-Paul Caruso, Entertainment Scene, Denver, Colorado, December 1995

"Stickburst is an extremely tight and interesting jazz album, both harmonically and rhythmically (love those meter changes), and executed skillfully (he flawlessly plays Stick and trumpet at the same time). The adventurous listener will love it."
- Theresa Younger, Boulder Weekly