Steve Lehman?

[xybert]

I've seen Lehman a few times since my last posts in this thread, and I readily admit that I like his work, both composition and playing, now more than I did then. I also found out he has a sense of humor, although I don't think it shows up much in his work. I can see the Coleman aspect, and that's an interesting observation, although I have never heard Lehman mention it (not that that matters). The influence he mentions most is Jackie McLean, with whom he studied. He also studied with Braxton, and sometimes it seems his works is a negotiation between these influences. I think what attracts me in Lehman is the absolute integrity of his efforts and attitude. The album of his I like best is still, "Dialect Fluorescent." It seems most representative.

It's funny that you mention that Lehman has never specifically mentioned Steve Coleman as being an influence; the same thought actually occured to me just as i was posting... i always thought that it was a given but i now wonder if he actually has been directly influenced by Coleman. The more that i think about it, quite possibly not! It's interesting food for thought.

I'd completely forgotten about the Jackie McLean connection... I remember there was a Destination: Out post where he mentioned the influence of McLean and Grachan Moncur's Evolution album... found a link: http://destination-out.com/?p=249 (funny, that's actually my comment under Chris "Thank you so much for posting this!" etc. That takes me back to an exciting time).

For some reason Lehman reminds me of Lee Konitz a bit... not sure that i could draw a direct comparison, but i got in to Konitz after Lehman and there was something indefinable there... maybe a similar tension or urgency in their playing? I don't know.

To Leeway's point, you can hear Lehman veering between McLean and Braxton on his two early CIMP releases. Dialect Fluorescent seemed to be overlooked when it came out two years ago.

Interesting... the earliest leader date i have of Lehman's is Demian as Posthuman from 2005... now that you mention it, it would be fascinating to hear the earlier recordings on CIMP.

Dialect Fluorescent is an excellent album!

[CJ Shearn]

Great thread, Chris, your post makes me want to check Lehman out. The name is familiar, I just never heard him.

[mjazzg]

Thanks for posting the promo, Xybert.

The live playing of the "Travail..." material was one of my most memorable gigs of the last few years. I think he's a very interesting musician and can also hear a Steve Coleman connection although I hear it less on more recent work (except now that I'm listening to his duet with Crunp I hear it a bit again). I was less taken by "Dialectic Flourescence" than others I think because for me it faded in comparison to "Travail...". However comparing it other contemporary sax trios it was impressive stuff.

Just started to listen to the duo on Intakt with Stephan Crump "Kaleidoscope&Collage", another interesting date

Glad to see the Octet remains the same but intrigued that Lehman is also now credited with 'electronics'.

edit to add: just seen he's doing a five night slot at Stone - how I'd love to see that especially 'Fieldwork' who I managed to miss the only time they played UK

Edited April 22, 2014 by mjazzg

[uli]

Class of 2014 Doris Duke award

http://www.openskyjazz.com/2014/04/randy-weston-lands-major-doris-duke-charitable-foundation-award/

[xybert]

Thanks for posting the promo, Xybert.

The live playing of the "Travail..." material was one of my most memorable gigs of the last few years. I think he's a very interesting musician and can also hear a Steve Coleman connection although I hear it less on more recent work (except now that I'm listening to his duet with Crunp I hear it a bit again). I was less taken by "Dialectic Flourescence" than others I think because for me it faded in comparison to "Travail...". However comparing it other contemporary sax trios it was impressive stuff.

Just started to listen to the duo on Intakt with Stephan Crump "Kaleidoscope&Collage", another interesting date

Glad to see the Octet remains the same but intrigued that Lehman is also now credited with 'electronics'.

edit to add: just seen he's doing a five night slot at Stone - how I'd love to see that especially 'Fieldwork' who I managed to miss the only time they played UK

'Dialect' definitely didn't blow me away like 'Travail' did... i've had the duet album with Crump wish listed for a while, need to get it at some point.

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how the 'electronics' are employed... from memory there were reasonably tasteful electronics used on Demian as Posthuman, but it felt like more of a feature of that music. My gut tells me they'll be employed fairly subtley and seamlessly in to the Octet. Hopefully!

Class of 2014 Doris Duke award

http://www.openskyjazz.com/2014/04/randy-weston-lands-major-doris-duke-charitable-foundation-award/

Really glad to hear this. When i was younger i was extremely unambitious in a "as long as i have enough to get by and buy the occasional CD i'll be fine" kind of way. As i've gotten older i really wish that i had the means to be a philanthropist.

[xybert]

Track listing and a bit of a write up are now available on the Pi site: https://www.pirecordings.com/album/pi54

Interestingly, versions of 3 Bud Powell tunes appear on the album, including Parisian Thoroughfare, one of my absolute favourites. I'm getting more and more psyched for this.

[Leeway]

When I last saw the Octet, I think they were already playing the material on the forthcoming album. Lehman talked about some additional performances and then recording it. I don't recall that electronics played a significant role at all in the performance; there may be more of it on the album.

Just to go back to "Dialect" for a minute, I made the point it was "representative" of Lehman as saxophonist and composer. It sounds so much like him and contains the essential building blocks of his music. This gets a little lost or blurred in the octet. Now, as the projects continue to develop, maybe "Dialect" will no longer define Lehman, but I don't think that will happen. I do wish he used a different drummer on the album.

[Steve Reynolds]

Who is the drummer?

[Leeway]

Damion Reid.

[clifford_thornton]

I haven't been able to go there with Lehman - I've tried - but the music could be worth revisiting.

He's definitely up to something, even if it isn't my bag.

[Leeway]

I haven't been able to go there with Lehman - I've tried - but the music could be worth revisiting.

He's definitely up to something, even if it isn't my bag.

Yeah, that's the way I felt about him, until I had a chance to see him in concert with the trio and the octet, and I started appreciating his music more. Also having a chance to talk with him. I still think he needs to open the playing field a bit more, so to speak.

[CraigP]

I haven't been able to go there with Lehman - I've tried - but the music could be worth revisiting.

He's definitely up to something, even if it isn't my bag.

I'm surprised to hear this from you! Although, you probably like freer, energy music more than I do, now that I think about it.

[jlhoots]

FWIW, I'm looking forward to this new CD.

[xybert]

Just to go back to "Dialect" for a minute, I made the point it was "representative" of Lehman as saxophonist and composer. It sounds so much like him and contains the essential building blocks of his music. This gets a little lost or blurred in the octet. Now, as the projects continue to develop, maybe "Dialect" will no longer define Lehman, but I don't think that will happen. I do wish he used a different drummer on the album.

I hear what you're saying, 'representative' is a good word. Dialect Fluorescent feels like a keystone album for me, a reference point. It strips away the bells and whistles of the Octet and seems to say "here is an unobstructed view of me."

Damion Reid... i have mixed feelings about his drumming. Part of me wonders what Dialect would be like with another drummer with a bit more subtlety and nuance, Tyshawn Sorey being the blindingly obvious candidate. Another part of me feels like although there are moments he seems like a poor fit (SNARE! SNARE! SNARE!), he's just so wrapped up in the sound of the album that it's kind of a 'sum is greater than the parts' thing and taking him out would kill it somehow. I don't know.

FWIW, I'm looking forward to this new CD.

I'm positive that it's going to be worth the wait.

[xybert]

Track from the new album on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_ZIX8DvSlA

All thoughts are welcome. Still waiting for my copy of the album to arrive, but i think this track bodes pretty well.

[johnblitweiler]

This octet album won me over to Lehman. It was issued not long after Jason Roebke's octet CD, which I also love. Both are distinctive composers. Lehman is more detailed and off-center and Roebke has errific interpreters (I may be biased).

[xybert]

I've given Mise En Abime a few listens now and i'm really digging it.

Took a few listens to get in to, it's quite dense compared with TT&F, on first blush much less accessible. The more you listen the more it opens up and you start hearing all those gorgeous moments. In my opinion there isn't a single 'wow' track like Alloy was on TT&F (at least on early listens it hasn't been revealed to me yet) but it's like, overall, a better album: the whole album is 'wow'. It's been worth the wait, he's nailed 'it'.

I dunno, i won't go on about it... i'm sure this album is going to get the shit hyped out of it as people start to hear it, and this of course will unfortunately turn many people off it. But really, i'd be fascinated, fascinated to peer into a parallel dimension and see what a legit critical establishment would make of this album within the context of Lehman's discography and contemporary jazz as a whole. For me it's a landmark album for Lehman.

[mjazzg]

I've listened just three times and as yet it hasn't knocked TT&F off its pedestal yet. TT&F and the live experience of the Octtet playing it has been one of the musical highlights of the last few years.

My first impressions of Mise are that it sounds somewhat too similar to TT&F except, and it's a big except, for the tracks with significant electronics - these are just the sort of development I was hoping Lehman would make to his 'signature' sound. Having said this, the playing and composing on Mise are top notch. I still hear a slice of Steve Coleman in the compositions and don't quite get the 'originality' tag that was so heavily applied to TT&F' sound (and by inference to thie release) - this is in no way a criticism of Lehman who I believe has developed a very interesting sound and compositional approach I just don't think it came out of nowhere (not something I've ever heard Lehman claim but many critics seemed to)

I'm hoping that as I spend more time with Mise (starting right now) it will reveal to me what it's revealed to you Xybert

[xybert]

I've listened just three times and as yet it hasn't knocked TT&F off its pedestal yet. TT&F and the live experience of the Octtet playing it has been one of the musical highlights of the last few years.

My first impressions of Mise are that it sounds somewhat too similar to TT&F except, and it's a big except, for the tracks with significant electronics - these are just the sort of development I was hoping Lehman would make to his 'signature' sound. Having said this, the playing and composing on Mise are top notch. I still hear a slice of Steve Coleman in the compositions and don't quite get the 'originality' tag that was so heavily applied to TT&F' sound (and by inference to thie release) - this is in no way a criticism of Lehman who I believe has developed a very interesting sound and compositional approach I just don't think it came out of nowhere (not something I've ever heard Lehman claim but many critics seemed to)

I'm hoping that as I spend more time with Mise (starting right now) it will reveal to me what it's revealed to you Xybert

I saw your post last night and listened to the album again straight away... was interesting that the Steve Coleman flavour jumped straight out at me while listening after reading your post.

Any claim of originality in jazz/improv/This Music will always be controversial. I'm trying to think of a good analogy for Coleman and Lehman... i feel like there is a connection there, but by the same token the method and the end result is different enough that you could like one but not the other... i want to say something like if Coleman is Ellington then Lehman is... something something... (not trying to say Coleman is the equal of Ellington! Just trying to find a suitable progenitor to new guy analogy and failing to)... i think when TT&F came out and i was trying to recommend it to people i suggested that it was roughly like a mix between Steve Coleman and Dave Holland's Extended Play quintet. It was fairly flawed but it gave an idea of the sound. With Mese En Abime that mix no longer applies; i don't know what i'd say now but Steve Coleman would still be in there somewhere.

I too need to do more listening.