muzycy:
Steve Lehman
Matt Brewer
Damion Reid

Editor's Info:
Alto saxophonist, Steve Lehman, has arrived. The New York Times described his 2009 release Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi 30) as "a breathtaking accomplishment" and its #1 Jazz/Pop CD of 2009. That album solidified Lehman's status as a visionary composer with powerful new ideas about the future of jazz. But on his new trio CD, Dialect Fluorescent, Lehman defies his reputation as a future-fixated modernist and combines his own original compositions with a full program of older works by jazz legends like John Coltrane and Jackie McLean. The album is not about paying homage to the jazz tradition in a respectful or dutiful way; every piece on Dialect Fluorescent is treated as an opportunity to create a bold and compelling musical statement, performed without one shred of irony or nostalgia.

While Lehman has been celebrated by critics and musicians alike for his ultramodern musical vision - saxophonists Miguel Zenon and Rudresh Mahanthappa regularly refer to him in interviews as their favorite young saxophonist - it is also his unflinching and unapologetic connection to jazz tradition that has set him apart from his peers. Lehman studied with jazz legend Jackie McLean from 1997-2001 and remains a devoted and outspoken advocate for McLean's music. In fact, while earning his Master's degree at Wesleyan University, Lehman was often criticized by fellow graduate students for being overly influenced by an earlier jazz tradition - some of them even referred to him jokingly as "Mr. Bebop." Now a doctoral candidate in Music Composition at Columbia University, Lehman has clearly established his own personal musical voice. Intensive studies with ground-breaking composers like Tristan Murail, George Lewis, Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton have had a powerful impact on Lehman's musical vision, but he still considers McLean to be his primary mentor. It should therefore come as no surprise that Lehman has made it a priority to create an artis.......
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jazzarium.pl; ocena: * * * / * * * * *
(. . .) Jego najnowszy krążek, ósmy w karierze, potwierdza sprawność stylistyczną tego artysty. Lehman brzmi czasami jak Coltrane, innym razem deliatnie jak Lee Konitz a czasem ostro i agresywnie jak Albert Ayler. Sprawdza się w każdej formie - ewidentnie opanował swój instrument w takim stopniu, że nic nie sprawia mu trudności. Jest prawdziwym wirtuozem i analitykiem muzyki. Wszystko, co gra ma swoje znaczenie i funkcję do spełnienia w kompozycji. Nie ma właściwie niepotrzebnych, bezużytecznych dźwięków (. . .)
autor: Piotr Jagielski


Editor's Info:
Alto saxophonist, Steve Lehman, has arrived. The New York Times described his 2009 release Travail, Transformation and Flow (Pi 30) as "a breathtaking accomplishment" and its #1 Jazz/Pop CD of 2009. That album solidified Lehman's status as a visionary composer with powerful new ideas about the future of jazz. But on his new trio CD, Dialect Fluorescent, Lehman defies his reputation as a future-fixated modernist and combines his own original compositions with a full program of older works by jazz legends like John Coltrane and Jackie McLean. The album is not about paying homage to the jazz tradition in a respectful or dutiful way; every piece on Dialect Fluorescent is treated as an opportunity to create a bold and compelling musical statement, performed without one shred of irony or nostalgia.

While Lehman has been celebrated by critics and musicians alike for his ultramodern musical vision - saxophonists Miguel Zenon and Rudresh Mahanthappa regularly refer to him in interviews as their favorite young saxophonist - it is also his unflinching and unapologetic connection to jazz tradition that has set him apart from his peers. Lehman studied with jazz legend Jackie McLean from 1997-2001 and remains a devoted and outspoken advocate for McLean's music. In fact, while earning his Master's degree at Wesleyan University, Lehman was .......
more