Steve Lehman Octet - Mise en Abime
This new release has been garnering praise in downbeat and online. To my ears this is a very composed album. Even the places which one would think would serve as jumping off points for solos feel composed. It reminds me in part of something which has in part been influenced by Dolphy’s Out to Lunch (no bad thing).
There are hints of hip hop and modern rock influence but these are not overt. The musicianship is first rate throughout but the tunes are not that memorable and I can see none becoming standards. The lone sax that opens the cd particularly sounds like a dolphy track , and more so when the ensemble comes in. The drumming in ’13 colors’sets up a funky background over which the sax floats against an insistence of vibes. This is like a sound track of some 2014 meets 1972 new York drug movie ….look there goes popeye doyle. ‘Glass enclosure transcription”continues this theme. Elevator door chimes opens coded – brice wassy’and a floating very sheppian sax slides over it. The sturm und drang opening of autumn interlude’hints at depth but then becomes almost mechanised in a metropolis manner before the sax wails almost against the theme. “Chimera-luchini’ is more of the highly stylised writing. The bonging of the vibes on this track is working against the ensemble playing (counterpoint? But needlessly so) . It makes sense but barely. The last track “parisienne thoroughfare transcription’ is mercifully short, seeking to make some point but ending up sounding like the scraps better musicians left on the cutting room floor. This is not to say that mood the band was going for was not reached but the vocals sound like some drunk was moaning over mastertapes.
So is this the most important record of 2014? No? but it’s a good one. I have enjoyed listening to it and its growing on me especially dingman’s vibes ( what a great name for a vibes player ...dingman) and shim’s tenor. I would recommend it to those who loved steve coleman back in the 1990s
Tracks
1. Segregated and Sequential
2. 13 Colors
3. Glass Enclosure Transcription
4. Codes - Brice Wassy
5. Autumn Interlude
6. Beyond All Limits
7. Chimer -Luchini
8. Parisian Thoroughfare Transcription
Steve Lehman: alto saxophone, electronics; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet; Tim Albright: trombone; Chris Dingman: vibraphone; Jose Davila: tuba; Drew Gress: bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums
