Steve Lehman Trio - Dialect Fluorescent (2012)

Pi Recordings: Pi42
http://www.pirecordings.com/album/pi42

* Steve Lehman: alto saxophone
* Matt Brewer: bass
* Damion Reid: drum set

http://www.stevelehman.com/
http://www.mattbrewerbass.com/
http://www.damionreid.com/

Recorded on August 22nd, 2011 at Systems Two, Brooklyn by Mike Marciano.

Reviews
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By Steve Mossberg
http://www.freejazzblog.org/2012/06/steve-lehman-trio-dialect-fluorescent.html

[...]

The group takes a similar tack on Lehman’s other originals and John Coltrane’s
“Moment’s Notice” on which Brewer joins the leader in a drumless duet of
extremely complex rhythmic variation. They drive forcefully on when Reid joins
with propulsive drums that show as much invention as Lehman’s lead lines.
Coltrane’s familiar melody peeks through only in very small windows, and when
it shows up at the end of the song it is remixed, some key notes stretched
disproportionately long while others are left alone. “Pure Imagination,” the
ballad from “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” appears in similarly
distorted form, this time with dark minor bass drones from Brewer that
transform it from sweet to sinister.

The group surprises with swinging renditions of Duke Pearson’s “Jeannine” and
Jackie McLean’s “Mr. E.” When the breakbeat drumming and prismatic time
refractions of the other tracks are removed, it’s striking how firmly rooted in
tradition the musicians seem to be. Lehman’s solos remain daringly distant from
the bass notes accompanying them, but they suddenly call to mind the calculated
tonal romps of Lee Konitz and the knife-edge interjections of Jackie McLean
more strongly than in other contexts. His playing in this manner, though not
ground breaking, is highly accomplished and reveals his deep knowledge of and
strong respect the innovations that preceded his own.

Demonstrating this affinity in a concert last winter at The Stone, Lehman spoke
of how “interesting” and “useful” the material Coltrane and his mentor McLean
still are for a contemporary musician. This choice of adjectives parallels a
sometimes-clinical approach that, along with a direct, no-frills alto tone,
leaves Lehman open to the same accusations of frigidity that Konitz and other
cool-school musicians received half a century before him. The music on “Dialect
Fluorescent” certainly isn’t particularly warm-blooded or overtly emotional,
but engages with its intellectual invention, verve, and deeply felt sense of
groove throughout.

Highly Recommended

--

By Troy Collins
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=41759

By Bill Shoemaker
http://www.pointofdeparture.org/PoD38/PoD38MoreMoments6.html

By Michael Rosenstein
http://dustedmagazine.com/reviews/7179

Por Micky Almada (es)