Vortex, London
Steve Lehman, the Brooklyn-born saxophonist and composer, is so good at setting aflame his carefully researched, academically driven music with the spontaneous clamours of the street that the 32-year-old has become not only one of the hottest jazz newcomers but a gathering force in contemporary-classical circles, too. Lehman's UK debut, with his accomplished octet, only ran to two gigs. Next time, it's likely to be a lot more.
Lehman explores "spectral harmony": computer-deduced patterns of overtones and frequencies pioneered by the French classical composer (and Lehman's former teacher) Tristan Murail, but which the saxophonist uses in a completely acoustic, real-time context.
His show began with a measured alto-sax melody, soon interlocking with Chris Dingman's vibraphone line, then other tugging motifs. Drummer Tyshawn Sorey added shimmers of sound, fitfully interrupted by petrifying crashes like a wardrobe overturning, before a racing drum'n' bass pulse set tenor saxist Mark Shim off on a fast Wayne Shorterish excursion of brittle, pebbly phrases.
Across two captivating sets, Sorey (one of the great young drummers in this rhythmically mind-boggling jazz area) produced polyrhythmic uproars within which a beat still ticked so metronomically that the crowd burst into cheers. An early trumpet break from Jonathan Finlayson mixed boppish intricacy and long-note purity, and a later one came close to a Sketches of Spain-era Miles Davis.
Lehman applied brusque multilinear sax patterns to a melody of Middle Eastern twists, and in reprising its jazzy Alloy theme from the first set ("We thought we'd have another crack at it") the band totally recast the piece. It was a fascinating display of hauntingly moving musical mazes, and the crowd hung on every twist.
gary coleman alexander mcqueen casey johnson corey haim paul gray
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