Alto saxophonist Steve Lehman will surprise you with his music, a strange amalgam of influences from jazz, rock, hip-hop, and modern classical. Here, in a live recording, he reimagines a handful of early Anthony Braxton compositions. He is joined by Mark Turner on tenor, Matt Brewer on bass, and Damion Reid on drums. Lehman is no stranger to Braxton, having recorded in studio and performed with him on tour from 1999 to 2007.
At first blush, there are notably similarities between the music of Braxton and Lehman’s takes. The group works through difficult harmonic and rhythmic structures while Lehman rips angular, uptempo solos ala Braxton. These readings reflect Braxton’s penchant for jaggedness but are not from his more abstract periods in the 2000s and 2010s. Indeed, these pieces were selected from Braxton’s 1970s oeuvre due to their being some of his more accessible works for small group.
Lehman and Turner solo together from time to time, but in another Braxtonism each employs lines that seem only loosely connected to those of the other. Brewer’s bass work is exploratory with its given constraints, an admirable stepping into the shoes of the legendary Dave Holland. Reid’s drumming is disciplined and exacting through labyrinthine structures. Notable is the group’s take on 23c, which has all four members traversing a knotty set of melodies and variations thereof. Their playing largely sticks together, which makes the moments when it breaks apart even more striking.
But the goal of an album like this one is not to “cover” the original artist. Lehman includes two of his own compositions in the Braxton style as well as a Monk piece. These efforts reflect Braxton’s intricate edginess while smoothing it over with an odd set of grooves.
After 55 years, the music of Anthony Braxton is finally reaching its tendrils into the collective subconscious. There has been a growing number of releases honoring him and his music, including Kobe Van Cauwenberghe – Ghost Trance Septet plays Anthony Braxton, Pat Thomas / The Locals – Play the Music of Anthony Braxton, James Ilgenfritz: Compositions (Braxton) 2011, and Thumbscrew – The Anthony Braxton Project. I expect this trend to continue.
In the mean time, this quartet will be on the road, most notably at the 2025 Big Ears Festival.
