By Frank Alkyer | Published April 2025
DownBeat published its first full-length feature on composer/alto saxophonist Steve Lehman in the May issue with good reason. His music (and career) continue to grow with each and every album he puts out and every live show he puts on. In the case of his most recent album, The Music Of Anthony Braxton on Pi, listeners get a good dose of both. Here we have Lehman with his working trio of Matt Brewer on bass and Damion Reid on drums, plus tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, performing the music of one of Lehman’s greatest mentors. They dig into Braxton’s catalog with drive, ambition and fury, delivering the master’s music with grit, groove and just the right amount of outside-the-lines spice. Braxton’s music has always been absolutely heady, taking a different path from the rest of the crowd, and that’s what makes it so special. This trio +1 fans that flame, but also gives the music a deeply soulful spin. For example, they take on “34a” at a slightly slower tempo, but still at breakneck speed. That gives Brewer’s bass and Reid’s drums the opportunity to seriously lock in as Lehman and Turner blaze over the rhythm. From the outset, it’s important to note how well this music was recorded. Every nuance is captured, from the rattle of the E string on Brewer’s bass to the slap of a saxophone key. All four members of the ensemble shine throughout. Brewer’s bass solo on “40b” is divine. Lehman and Turner thrill on unison lines on “23b + 23G,” then sprint off on their own killer solos. With both Lehman and Turner on the fast-growing L.A. jazz scene now, it’s exciting to hear them together, both creatively gifted improvisers. They absolutely feed off of each other throughout the set. And Reid brings an easy, fiery grace to the drum kit, fueling changes in tempo and color on “23e + 40a” and “23c.” In addition to the five Braxton tunes in this set, it also includes two Lehman originals: “L.A. Genes” and “Unbroken and Unspoken,” both terrific additions to his body of work. They close with Thelonious Monk’s “Trinkle, Tinkle,” in a performance Lehman included to demonstrate the connection between its melodic line to Braxton’s “23b.” Steve Lehman is a thinking man’s musician who also knows how to burn.
