On Meaning

Steve Lehman Quintet

One Final Note

Demian as Posthuman is saxophonist Steve Lehman’s most experimental release to date. With a solid acoustic quintet record, Artificial Light, and trio release, Interface, under his belt, Lehman is also one-third of the collaborative trio Fieldwork, whose Simulated Progress is easily one of 2005’s best jazz releases. Lehman has upped the ante on this album, which dispenses with typical notions of jazz and popular music by combining the two in an effort to document the creation of a new, hybrid music.

Combining electronics and jazz is certainly nothing new, but truly successful projects are not the norm. For those jazz artists who see electronic music and hip-hop as conceptual equals however, the results are generally more satisfying. Lehman is obviously a fan of popular music and as such his investigations into that realm are more solid and affecting than those artists who merely dabble to benefit from the marketplace.

Lehman put together a quintet in the summer of 2005 to record some abstract groove pieces. With pianist Vijay Iyer, bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, DJ Jahi Lake, and drummer Eric McPherson, Lehman recorded three tracks, “Vapors”, “Logic—Meshell”, and “Community”. These three cuts became the structural framework around which Lehman decided to construct his next record. With noted hip-hop producer Scotty Hard and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, Lehman utilized overdubbing and studio technology to document a music that occupies a middle ground between the lands of jazz improvisation and the rhythms and timbres of hip-hop and electronica.

As expected, the three quintet tracks sound the most filled out. With an obvious nod to his M-Base schooling courtesy of frequent collaborator Vijay Iyer, Lehman takes these three pieces down familiar, yet invigorating territory. Each embodies the sort of lock-step funk groove and cool harmonic progression M-Base is known for while maintaining enough polyrhythmic edge and angularity to keep the tunes surprising. Lehman shows his chops, but these pieces are more collaborative in nature than mere solo opportunities for the leader.

It is the remaining tracks where Lehman overdubs himself and Tyshawn Sorey to build compositions that flirt with the ambience and raw groove of contemporary music. Multiple variations of the same themes emerge, giving the album a suite-like flow. Deceptively full for a duo, Lehman uses a sequencer to fill in bass lines and overdubs himself to create a virtual two-horn front line. These cuts tend to have a futuristic cast to them, with wispy synth lines and droning pedal tones lurking beneath intertwining, angular alto sax lines and explosive drum fills.

On “Damage Mobility—Acoustic” Lehman goes it alone, sort of. By overdubbing his saxophone without aid of a sampler he creates a mini-saxophone quartet. “Emphonic” is the most electronica-inspired piece on the album as it finds Lehman alone with his sequencer and is the only instance on the record of a drum machine.

Demian as Posthuman sounds less like an experimental aside than it does an indication of exciting things to come. At 36 minutes, the album may seem short to discerning listeners, but still comes across as efficient and tight in its pacing.

– Troy Collins

Village Voice

Twelve short pieces, structured like a bridge with communities on both ends bracketing duo pieces where Lehman plays alto against his own programming and Tyshawn Sorey's drums. Dense and cerebral, with no wasted motion. A MINUS

Point of Departure

Props to Steve Lehman for taking a sizeable risk, when could have consolidated his position as one of the more provocative alto saxophonists just by doing what’s worked to date, leading hard-edged small group session and collaborating with Vijay Iyer and Tashawn Sorey in Fieldwork. Instead, he has made a startling departure with Demian as Posthuman, the bulk of which are pieces where Sorey and Lehman’s sequences and effects are his only accompaniment. Yet, it’s not the music alone that raises the ante; but his presentation as well, namely the decision to be photographed either wearing very dark contact lenses, or having alien eyes pasted in. In a way, the imaging is an extension of the fascination with science fiction jazz artists have reflected in their work since the 1950s, and more recently, and pertinently in terms of Lehman’s possible influences, in artists as diverse as Anthony Braxton and Steve Coleman. Lehman’s posthuman pose may cause old codgers may peel off and head back to Saturn, and attract younger listeners with industrial-strength sensibilities; but, in the end, it’s the music that trumps any art direction issue.

Lehman uses tracks featuring DJ Jahi Lake, electric bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and drummer Eric McPherson, to begin, end and mark the halfway point in the album. Iyer is brought on for the first and last, which gives the band the feel of Fieldwork on supplements. After the pianist’s brief introductory presence, the tone of the date becomes foreboding, as Lehman creates a miasma of sinewy themes, off-kilter grooves and frequently spectral effects in his solo and duo tracks. Lehman’s (Steve) Coleman-like edge is generally well suited for this setting, particularly on the tracks with overdubbed saxes; his penchant for sputtering Braxton-like phrases carries his one acoustic duo with Sorey. The vibe is vaguely menacing; but, overall, it’s vivid and incessantly engaging music.

– Bill Shoemaker