The Jazz Journalists Association has just announced its nominations for the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards have just been announced, and congratulations are due to saxophonist, bandleader and composer Steve Lehman, who earned three nods this year: composer of the year, record of the year (for the exhilarating Travail, Transformation and Flow) and alto saxophonist of the year. Lehman faces stiff competition in each category; still, receiving so much acknowledgment from the JJA's members is in itself quite an achievement. (You can see a complete list of nominees here.)
Quite possibly the only jazz composer whose work attempts to creatively reconcile lessons learned from Jackie McLean, Anthony Braxton, Tristan Murail and the Wu-Tang Clan, Lehman is also involved with contemporary classical music. Currently he's a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, where he teaches in the music department.
A chance to sample this side of Lehman's work arrives on Saturday, April 24 at 8 p.m., when the JACK Quartet presents the world premiere of his Nos Revi Nella during a Columbia Composers event at St. Peter's Church (Chelsea), 346 West 20th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues. The program also includes the premiere of Victor Adán's String Quartet No. 1 and Zosha Di Castri's Sulla Mappa Concava; a new piece by Wet Ink Ensemble artistic director Alex Mincek; and Psalterion by Mario Diaz de León.
You can follow Lehman's doings on Twitter, and hear Travail, Transformation and Flow on Lala.
Night After Night 
Leave a comment