Steve Lehman Quintet - On Meaning

When I heard about the lineup for this album, I was already intrigued. Featuring Steve Lehman on alto sax, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Chris Dingman on vibraphone, Drew Gress on bass, and Tyshawn Sorey on drums, it appeared to be a collection of ambitious young players with emerging reputations and already developing unique voices on their respective instruments.

Some I was more familiar with than others - Steve Lehman's reputation preceded him as both a scholar and a musician, as I was familiar with his scholarly writing and with his playing in Fieldwork as well as on a Liberty Ellman recording. I was also familiar with Drew Gress in a variety of settings. I had heard wonderful things about Mr. Finlayson's trumpet playing, and similar endorsements of Tyshawn Sorey's drumming. Chris Dingman was new to me, but as I have mentioned before, I'm a sucker for the vibraphone so I welcomed his presence.

Provocatively titled On Meaning, the music comes across as kinetic, complex, and dense (Mr. Lehman's publishing company is aptly titled Density Music) while retaining a buoyancy and openness that contradicts the typical associations with music described as complex or dense.

It's a quality that I've noticed more often in music I've been listening to - I'm not sure if it's my own listening habits or perception changing, because in the past I would have described myself as someone who didn't particularly enjoy music that I would have tended to describe as complex or dense, at least compositionally. I think I shied away from music that I felt was overly flashy in terms of chops, a belief that musicality was being sacrificed for technicality.

None of these concerns cross my mind listening to this recording, which avoids all of these pitfalls by remaining utterly musical to my ears. Part of this has to do with the masterful mixing and mastering, which I see was done by Liberty Ellman, which affords each instrument its own sonic space. The other part has to do with the obvious interaction and sensitivity with which each of the musicians displays throughout the proceedings.

There are obvious precedents to Mr. Lehman's own playing and compositional style, none of which are worth mentioning because he ends up in unique territory.

All of the musicians that I looked forward to hearing on this recording are fantastic. Tyshawn Sorey is revelatory on the drums and I'm looking forward to picking up his new record on Firehouse 12. He shows an awareness of not only jazz, but also more modern rhythmic patterns found in drum and bass music, which he incorporates tastefully and with a powerful propelling effect. Chris Dingman is fantastic throughout, providing incredible support as well as producing some great solo passages. Finlayson proves himself to be an agile player with really beautiful tone, especially on Check This Out and the title track On Meaning.

There's a cohesiveness to the sound and feel of the 8 tracks on the album that lends itself to a sustained listening experience. It's the kind of album that will make me go back and listen to Steve Lehman's previous albums so I can trace the progression and see how he got to this place musically. It's also worth mentioning that this is yet another stellar recording from Pi Recordings, a label that I'm now developing a trusting relationship with. I haven't picked up a bad Pi release yet, and this recording only furthered my sense that they put out quality music.

A great recording from a great band - I wish I could see them live in the near future. Maybe someday.