The new CD by the Steve Lehman Trio -- DIALECT FLUORESCENT -- comes out today and features Damion Reid on drums and Matt Brewer on bass. The trio will present a series of shows on the East Coast in celebration of the CD release. Come on out...!

JUNE 7 -- New York City -- The Jazz Gallery w/special guest DAVID VIRELLES
JUNE 8 -- New York City -- The Jazz Gallery w/special guest VIJAY IYER
JUNE 9 -- New York City -- The Jazz Gallery w/special guest JAMES HURT

Check out the "Press 2" page for recent reviews of "Dialect Fluorescent" in
The New York Times and on National Public Radio (NPR Music)...!

Winter and Spring 2012 at a glance...!

FEBRUARY 2012 -- ICE -- CHICAGO PREMIERE
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) presents the Chicago premiere of Lehman's IMPOSSIBLE FLOW at the Museum of Contemporary Art as part of a concert featuring works by George Lewis, Tyshawn Sorey and Nicole Mitchell.

MARCH 2012 -- STEVE LEHMAN TRIO -- CD RELEASE
"Dialect Fluorescent" will be released by Pi Recordings on March 27, 2012. The album features Lehman's ground-breaking trio of Matt Brewer (Bass) and Damion Reid (Drum Set) and includes compositions by John Coltrane and Jackie McLean alongside Lehman's one-of-a-kind originals.

MARCH 2012 -- ICE -- CALIFORNIA PREMIERE
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) presents the California premiere of several chamber works by Steve Lehman as part of the CSUF New Music Festival, featuring works by Pauline Oliveros and John Hollenbeck.

APRIL 2012 -- STEVE LEHMAN TRIO -- U.S. TOUR DATES
The Steve Lehman Trio will present a series of U.S. Tour Dates in support of
"Dialect Fluorescent" their new release on the Pi Recordings label. Performances currently scheduled in Baltimore, Cleveland, New Haven, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.

Summer 2011 At A Glance...!

IRCAM RESEARCH RESIDENCY
The Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM) has invited Steve Lehman to undertake a two-month research residency and contribute to the OMax Project in June and July 2011.

STEVE LEHMAN TRIO -- EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
Performances by The Steve Lehman Trio in Finland, The Netherlands, France and The United Kingdom

MOSTLY MOZART PREMIERE
World premiere of a new work for two flutes (Claire Chase & Eric Lamb) for the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City. Commissioned by The International Contemporary Ensemble.

Steve Lehman's 2010-2011 Season At A Glance...!

OCTOBER 2010 -- STEVE LEHMAN OCTET -- U.S. TOUR DATES
Performances in San Francisco, Seattle, Columbus & NYC

JANUARY 2011 -- STEVE LEHMAN OCTET -- EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
Performances in London, Birmingham, Paris, Amsterdam, Prato, Lisbon & Porto

MARCH 2011 -- FIELDWORK -- 3-DAY PORTRAIT IN PHILADELPHIA
Performances by Fieldwork, Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman, and The
JACK String Quartet

APRIL 2011 -- INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY ENSEMBLE -- NYC
World Premiere of Steve Lehman's evening-length cycle IMPOSSIBLE FLOW.
Commissioned by The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in
conjunction with the ICELab initiative.

MAY 2011 -- BANFF INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN CREATIVE MUSIC
Steve Lehman will be teaching at BANFF from May 29th to June 4th, working alonside esteemed faculty members Myra Melford and Brandon Ross among others.

JUNE 2011 -- IRCAM RESEARCH RESIDENCY
The Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique in Paris has invited Steve Lehman to undertake a two-month research residency and contribute to the OMax Project in June and July 2011.

Several of Steve Lehman's scores are now available for purchase through the Pi Recordings website...!

New video on the Ableton Live website showing how Steve uses Max/MSP and Ableton in his work...!

The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) has announced its 2010 award nominations and Steve has been recognized in three categories...!: Composer of the Year, Alto Saxophonist of the Year, and Recording of the Year.

Look out for 2010 performances by The Steve Lehman Octet in the following cities: New York City, Amsterdam, Moers, Rotterdam, San Francisco, Seattle, and Columbus (OH). And stay tuned for more European performances in January 2011...!

UP-COMING EVENTS IN 2010:

April 5 --- Official Release of Dual Identity's self-titled debut CD on Clean Feed Records. Dual Identity is Rudresh Mahanthappa & Steve Lehman w/Liberty Ellman, Matt Brewer, and Damion Reid

April 24 --- The Jack Quartet presents the World Premiere of Steve Lehman's "Nos Revi Nella" for string quartet. Concert will also feature new works by Victor Adan, Zosha Di Castri, Mario Diaz De Leon, and Alex Mincek
as part of the Columbia Composers Concert Series.

May 19 --- The Steve Lehman Octet will present performances in New York City, Amsterdam, Moers, and Troy (EMPAC) from May 19 to May 28.

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW ended up being included in over
thirty lists of the Top 10 CDs Of 2009...!

All About Jazz (David Adler)
Art Forum (Vijay Iyer)
Austin Chronicle (Jay Trachtenberg)
Berliner Zeitung (Christian Broecking)
Big City (George Grella)
Boston Phoenix (Jim Macnie)
Chicago Reader (Peter Margasak)
Destination Out (Jeff Jackson)
Detroit Metro Times (W. Kim Heron)
El Intruso Musicians Poll (Various) -- #1
Hartford Courant (Chuck Obuchowski)
Improvisos Ao Sul (Antonio Branco)
Jazz Beyond Jazz (Howard Mandel)
Jazz Breakfast (Peter Bacon)
Jazz Journalists Association (Various)
Jazz Session (Jason Crane)
Jazz Thing (Various)
Jazz Times (Various) -- #11
Lime Wire Music (Jim Allen)
Music & More (Tim Niland)
New York Times (Nate Chinen) -- #1
New York Times (Ben Ratliff) -- #5
Newsweek (Seth Colter Walls)
NPR Music (Josh Jackson)
Philadelphia City Paper (Shaun Brady)
Pop Matters (Will Layman)
Running The Voodoo Down (Phil Freeman)
RVA Jazz (Dean Christesen)
San Jose Mercury News (Richard Scheinin)
Time Out Chicago (Areif Sless-Kitain) -- #1
Village Voice (Various) -- #5
Washington City Paper (Michael J. West)

And many thanks to Bob Blumenthal, Brent Burton, Martin Johnson, Ken Micallef, John Murph, Derk Richardson, Michael Rosenstein, Lloyd Sachs, Mike Shanley, and John Szwed for including "Travail, Transformation & Flow" in their 2009 Top Ten Lists.

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW was named the #1 Pop/Jazz CD of 2009 by The New York Times...!!!

"...a breathtaking accomplishment..." -- The New York Times (Nate Chinen)

The CD also continues to appear on a ton of 2009 Top 10 lists! Here's the tally so far:

The New York Times (Chinen & Ratliff), Art Forum, Newsweek, NPR Music, Jazz Beyond Jazz, The Chicago Reader, The Detroit Metro Times, JazzTimes (#11), Destination Out, RVA Jazz, The Village Voice, The Hartford Courant, Music & More, Time Out Chicago, Berliner Zeitung, Lime Wire Music, Philadelphia City Paper, The Jazz Session, The Austin Chronicle, Washington City Paper, Jazz Thing (Germany), San Jose Mercury News, and All About Jazz New York, among others.

Steve Lehman Octet CD cited as one of the "TOP 10 CDs of 2009" by: Art Forum, The Jazz Session, Music & More, RVA Jazz, The Jazz Journalists Association, and NPR Music among others. Many Thanks!

Great Newsweek article on Jazz that mentions TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW as one of the highlights of 2009...!

Wonderful interview with Jason Crane for his The Jazz Session podcast...!

Great piece on my work with a recorded interview at New Music Box...!

"Travail, Transformation, and Flow will probably at first leave you speechless...like nothing you've ever heard before" -- Frank J. Oteri (New Music Box)

Wonderful profiles in The Hartford Courant & The New Haven Advocate in connection with my up-coming performance at Firehouse 12 in New Haven...!

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW received a glowing "4 1/2 Star" review in the new Down Beat Magazine from critic Bill Shoemaker...!

Wonderful review of TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW in George Grella's The Big City BLOG...!

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW featured on NPR's Fresh Air today...!

Check the EVENTS page for up-Coming tour dates...!

September 30 -- NYC -- Barbes
October 3 -- PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Art Alliance
October 4 -- AMHERST -- Amherst College
October 9 -- NEW HAVEN -- Firehouse 12

November 1 -- SEATTLE -- Earshot Jazz Festival
November 2 -- BERKELEY -- CNMAT
November 4 -- IRVINE -- UC Irvine
November 5 -- LOS ANGELES -- Cal Arts/The Mandrake

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW continues to receive glowing press from both national and international media, including rave reviews from regional dailies in Los Angeles, San Jose, Nashville, Detroit, Washington D.C., Hartford, and Boston, among others...!

Wonderful 4-Star review for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW from Kevin LeGendre in the August 2009 issue of Jazzwise Magazine (UK):

[A]rresting novelty by way of a tight, concise focus. -- Jazzwise (UK)

The Downbeat International Critics Poll has named Steve a "Rising Star" on the Alto Saxophone for the 4th year in a row...!

The German-speaking blog-o-sphere on my contribution to Spectral Music...!

More great reviews for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW in print and the blog-o-spehere...!

What we hear...transforms both jazz itself and maybe us, the listeners, along the way -- The Jazz Breakfast Blog

Last year in these pages I wrote that "like (Tim) Berne and (Dave) Holland, Lehman is going to become an ensemble pacemaker". That was overly circumspect, because Lehman is an inspired talent -- The Guardian (UK)

Look out for tons and tons of great concerts in 2009-2010 including a duo performance by Steve Lehman & Craig Taborn at The Stone, a West Coast Solo Tour, North East performances by the Steve Lehman Trio, and special performances with Fieldwork, Anthony Braxton, and Michel Edelin.....and that's just the beginning...!

Glowing press continues to roll in for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW...! Check out the "Press 2" page for rave review in The Washington City Paper, Columbia University Research News, Tim Niland's Jazz & Blues BLOG, The Detroit Free Press and The Mercury News in San Jose:

Rare as it is to rewrite the language of jazz improvisation, it’s rarer still...to make it this compelling and listenable. -- Washington City Paper

An amazement, this record. -- Mercury News

[P]acks a startling first punch...one of the most intriguing young composers in jazz. -- Detroit Free Press

Wonderful praise for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW from the blog-o-sphere in Turkey:

A member of the pioneering new generation jazz composer/players...Steve Lehman can...be easily singled out as the most exciting in the recent years. -- UNDOMONDO

More wonderful reviews for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW from Lime Wire, Signal To Noise, Point of Departure, and Jazz Thing (Germany)...!

Lehman erects a world of sound where feeling is on equal footing with thought, marrying head and heart like only the best jazz can. -- LIME WIRE

Lehman is a musician bursting with ideas. -- POINT OF DEPARTURE

The sound of the new New York. -- JAZZ THING

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW IS OUT AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE...!!!

Many many thanks to everyone who came out to Le Poisson Rouge this past Monday and helped pack the place for our CD release concert. The new album continues to garner glowing praise and rave reviews from The Boston Phoenix, NPR, All About Jazz, Downtown Music Gallery, Time Out, All Music Guide and The New York Times, who ran a wonderful review of the CD release concert in their Wednesday Arts section.

Superb....immediately gripping....a perfectly ultramodern gesture.
NY TIMES

This is astonishing music....a prime example of new, innovative music.
ALL MUSIC GUIDE

A whorl of luminous dissonance and off-kilter propulsion...Mr. Lehman has opened his own corridor of exploration.
NY TIMES

Visceral and innovative...a brave journey into the future of Jazz.
ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Check out Nate Chinen's rave review of TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW in the Sunday New York Times Arts & Leisure Section...!

Check out the glowing preview in TIME OUT NEW YORK for the up-coming CD release concert by the Steve Lehman Octet at Le Poisson Rouge...!

Check out Steve's Interview on WBGO's The Checkout...! Wonderful interview, hosted by Josh Jackson, during which Steve discusses everything from Spectral Music, to Jackie McLean, to Carmelo Anthony and The Denver Nuggets...!

Buzz is starting to accumulate for TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, and FLOW...!!!

Both NPR MUSIC and DESTINATION OUT have devoted glowing BLOG posts to the new octet album. And Steve will be a featured guest on tonight's edition of THE CHECKOUT, hosted by Josh Jackson on WBGO.

Steve Lehman Octet performs on Monday, June 8 at 7PM at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC...One Set Only!

New York Times Critic, Ben Ratliff, gave TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, AND FLOW a rave review on WGBO's The Checkout! Ratliff comments that:

Everything about the sound of this music broadcasts hyper-modern....this guy is someone who I feel has really done his homework.

Latest News...!

The Steve Lehman Octet will perform at Le Poisson Rouge on Monday, June 8th in celebration of the release of their new CD TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, & FLOW! Take a listen to the CD's opening track, "Echoes", on the LISTEN page of this website.

Get your tickets now for International Contemporary Ensemble's blockbuster show at P.S. 122 on May 22 & May 23, featuring new chamber works by Corey Dargel, Nathan Davis, Mario Diaz de Leon, and Steve Lehman. A major concert in the new music season, this event is expected to sell out!

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT, the critically acclaimed 2004 recording from the Steve Lehman Quintet is finally available for download through iTunes. Check it out!

Lots of Exciting News for 2009...!

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION & FLOW, the new album from the Steve Lehman Octet, hits the street on June 9.

The the critically acclaimed new music ensemble, ICE, will present the world premiere of Steve's "Baltimore/Berlin" for mixed quintet on May 22 & 23 at P.S. 122.

SO PERCUSSION will perform the world premiere of Steve's "So/Sarcelles" for percussion quartet on April 18th at Roulette as part of the Columbia Composers Concert Series.

DUAL IDENTITY will perform on February 26th at The Jazz Gallery in New York, before heading to Europe for a tour of Portugal and a new live recording. DUAL IDENTITY is: Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Lehman, Liberty Ellman, Matt Brewer, and Damion Reid.

DOOR, the third album from the collaborative trio Fieldwork, was named one of the Top Ten CDs of 2008 by a slew of premier music critics, including Francis Davis (Village Voice), Will Layman (Pop Matters), Shaun Brady (Philadelphia City Paper), Hank Shteamer (Time Out New York), Mike Shanley (JazzTimes), Kevin LeGendre (Jazzwise), Christian Van Broecking (Berliner Zeitung), and Alain Drout (Downbeat).

ON MEANING was also named one of the Top 10 CDs of 2008 by Nate Chinen of the New York Times in addition to ending up on several Best of 2007 lists (ON MEANING was released in November 2007)...!

The STEVE LEHMAN OCTET went into the studio on December 22, 2008 to make a new CD for Pi Recordings. Look out for the release of TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, and FLOW in the Spring of 2009...!

Look out for the world premiere of TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, and FLOW at the Jazz Gallery on December 19th & 20th by The Steve Lehman Octet...!

STEVE LEHMAN OCTET
Jonathan Finlayson - Trumpet
Mark Shim - Tenor Saxophone
Tim Albright - Trombone
Jose Davila - Tuba
Chris Dingman - Vibraphone
Drew Gress - Bass
Tyshawn Sorey - Drums
Steve Lehman - Alto Saxophone/Composition

TRAVAIL, TRANSFORMATION, and FLOW is created with support from Chamber Music America's New Works: Creation and Presentation Program, funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Foundation.

In other news, the latest edition of THE PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ was recently published and includes a rave review of Steve's most recent recordings, MANIFOLD and ON MEANING, including the following praise:

[M]usic of genuinely visionary importance, a way forward for the art.
-Penguin Guide to Jazz

DOOR, the third album from the collective trio Fieldwork (Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey, Steve Lehman) received a Disque d'Emois (5-Star) review in the November 2008 edition of Jazz Magazine (France).

Look out for Fieldwork's concert and live filming on November 24 at Le Poisson Rouge as part of the 2008 Jazz Mix New York Festival.

DOOR received rave reviews in the August 2008 edition of Jazzwise Magazine (UK) and in the September 2008 edition of Jazzman (FR).

The August 2008 Jazzwise Magazine (UK) also features a rave review of ON MEANING from critic Kevin LeGendre.

"[A] fascinating, bravely original approach to the relationship between composition and improvisation." - Jazzwise

The 2008 Downbeat Magazine International Critics Poll has named Steve a "Rising Star" on the alto saxophone for the third year in a row...!

DOOR received rave reviews in the August 2008 issues of Downbeat and Jazz Times magazine.

"[F]ascinating, with new discoveries arriving with each listen." - Jazz Times

Lots of great news from the UK this month....

ON MEANING received a rave review in the July 2008 edition of The Wire in which Philip Clark describes the album as "a bracingly original soundworld."

DOOR and ON MEANING have been ranked #1 and #2, respectively, in the July 2008 edition of Jazzwise Magazine's Record Chart.

The Jazz Journalists Association has nominated Steve and 4 other saxophonists for their "Best Alto Saxophone of 2008" award. The other nominees include Ornette Coleman, Lee Konitz, Phil Woods, and Steve Wilson.

Fieldwork's third album, DOOR, has received several rave reviews since it's release on April 22nd:

"[T]he future of New York Jazz....Incredible music for the brave of heart and mind." - Yahoo Music

"[A] phenomenal concept fully brought to fruition by these incredible, challenging, forward thinking musicians." - All Music Guide

DOOR is out and available for purchase! DOOR is Fieldwork's third studio recording, and the first to feature co-leader/composer/percussionist Tyshawn Sorey.

Look out for the NYC-area record release show for DOOR at Joe's Pub on Saturday, May 31, as well as an appearance by the band on WNYC's Souncheck program with John Schaefer on May 27th.

Steve's recent U.S. performances and his two latest CDs, Manifold and On Meaning, continue to receive rave reviews, including profiles in the Washington Post Express, Down Beat Magazine, Signal to Noise, and a critic's pick in the Chicago Reader.

Look out for the release of Fieldwork's third album, Door (Pi Recordings), on April 22 with a record release concert to follow at Joe's Pub in NYC on May 31st...!

Steve's recent paper "McLean's Scene: Jackie McLean as Improviser, Educator, and Activist" has been published in Vol. 3 No. 2 of the academic online journal Critical Studies in Improvisation and is now available for viewing/download.

On Meaning continues to receive critical acclaim including recent rave reviews in The Guardian (UK) and All Music Guide where critic Thom Jurek comments that "the sense of sheer musicality here is often breathtaking."

Look out for Fieldwork's European performances in early-February, including dates in Porto, Vienna, Paris, and Stockholm.

The band's 3rd album, DOOR, will be released by Pi Recordings in Spring 2008. 5 tracks from the album can be previewed at the band's website...!

The Steve Lehman Quintet will be performing this Friday in New York and Saturday in Philadelphia in celebration of the release of ON MEANING (Pi 2007). See the Events page of this website for more details.

Steve will be appearing as a guest on WKCR's (89.9 FM) Jazz Alternatives show on Wednesday, January 9th from 6pm-9pm in anticipation of his January 11th show at the Jazz Gallery.

Lots of Great News for 2008...!

1. On Meaning continues to receive rave reviews and ended up on several Best of 2007 lists, including those compiled by critics Phil DiPietro, Stuart Broomer, Francis Davis, John Murph, and Thierry Peremarti.

2. Fieldwork (Tyshawn Sorey, Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer) went into the recording studio on December 22, 2007 to record a new album of original, collaboratively arranged material. Look out for the official release on Pi Recordings in Spring 2008.

3. Look out for a slew of European performances by Fieldwork in early February 2008, including dates in Porto, Vienna, Paris, and Stockholm.

4. Steve will be presenting his music for solo saxophone and live, interactive electronics in Boston, New York, Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington D.C., as part of a U.S. tour in mid-March 2008.

On Meaning received a rave review in the New York Times...!

On Meaning continues to receive rave reviews, including a Jazz D'Emois rating in Jazz Magazine (FR)! See the Press 2 page for full reviews.

On Meaning (Pi 25), the new album from the Steve Lehman Quintet, has been released and is available for purchase...! Stay tuned for the release of Manifold (Clean Feed 97) from the Steve Lehman Quartet, featuring Nasheet Waits, John Hebert, and Jonathan Finlayson.

ON MEANING (Pi 25) received a rave review in Point Of Departure where Stuart Broomer describes the album as "required hearing," commenting that "Lehman seems to pick up jazz discourse...and advance it logically to the present...his own playing is particularly distinctive – a coiled intensity that can shift suddenly to multiphonics, negotiate a minefield of compositional signs, or maintain a continuous linear focus."

Steve is featured in the September 2007 issue of Jazzman (FR) as one of "Dix Saxophonistes Qui Fait Bouger l'Alto." (Ten Saxophonists Who Are Shaking Up the Alto)

Steve was recently named a "Rising Star" on the alto saxophone by the Downbeat International Critics Poll for the second year in a row.

Chamber Music America has awarded Steve Lehman a "New Works: Creation and Presentation" grant to compose an evening-length suite of music for octet. Past recipients of this prestigious grant include Andrew Hill, Greg Osby, Rudresh Mahanthappa and Vijay Iyer.

Steve Lehman will appear as a guest on WKCR's Jazz Alternatives program on Wednesday, June 13th from 6pm-9pm. In addition to discussing his own work, Steve will act as guest DJ and share 2 hours worth of his favorite recordings.

The STEVE LEHMAN QUINTET, featuring Drew Gress, Tyshawn Sorey, Chris Dingman, and Jonathan Finlayson, will be recording a new album on June 18 to be released by Pi Recordings in the fall of 2007. The recording will be preceeded by a performance at the Jazz Gallery on Sunday, June 17th.

FIELDWORK, the collective ensemble co-led by Tyshawn Sorey, Vijay Iyer, and Steve Lehman will debut several new compositions on June 19 at the 2007 Vision Festival in New York City. See the itinerary page for more details.

The STEVE LEHMAN QUARTET, featuring Nasheet Waits, John Hebert, and Jonathan Finlayson, will be performing for three nights in Portugal, from May 31-June 2 as part of the 2007 Coimbra Jazz Festival. See the itinerary page for more details.