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The terms ‘supergroup’ and ‘power trio’ gets tossed around probably more than they should, but they seem invented precisely for the all-star ensemble Fieldwork. The pooling of the talents of saxophonist Steve Lehman, pianist Vijay Iyer and percussionist Tyshawn Sorey is an exciting proposition, as all three have for the last couple of decades have been at the forefront of progressive jazz, pointing the way forward for adapting this old genre for modern sensibilities in creative, intelligent ways.
The first album under Fieldwork moniker arrived in 2002 but the lineup evolved until the third offering Door in 2008. Since that time, Sorey, Lehman and remaining founder Iyer have done nothing but pushed themselves to the front of the current crop driving today’s progressive jazz. And maybe because they’ve been busy writing new chapters in the jazz history book, it took them seventeen years to get back together. But luckily for us, they did.
Thereupon (PI Recordings) is another collection from dominant personalities where everyone leads, but leads cooperatively. The music they make has features of each of these musicians: compact and instinctive, rigorously cohesive, and forceful, animated by a mysterious but unmistakable inner order. The mathematically constructed “Embracing Difference” epitomizes this inscrutable but embraceable logic. Put another way, everyone is playing their asses off at the same time.
The precise “Propaganda” is a sprint, Lehman engaging first with Sorey and then with Iyer. “Evening Rite” is almost chamber-like in its lithe touch, Iyer handily splitting the difference between jazz and classical with his usual aplomb. Sorey roams freely on “Fire City” and Iyer with Lehman threaten to tear completely apart when they magically come together near the end to declare the main, intricate chord pattern for the first time.
Lehman’s mastery of the alto saxophone goes beyond just diction and extends to manipulating its timbres, demonstrating this capability throughout “Domain.” “Astral” ramps up somewhat gradually and as soon as it finds its tempo, locks into a funky, knotted groove.
Fieldwork is essentially an acoustic band but not strictly so: Iyer moves over to electric piano for “Fantøme,” providing accompaniment with color with somewhat more density than on piano while Lehman and Sorey sprint through some complex rhythmic patterns together. “The Night Before” goes deeper into the electro-acoustic approach with Mwandishi-styled psychedelic effects kicking off the song. After some freeform searching, it settles into extended chords that lazily waft in the stillness. But the intuitive feel for each other needed to make the other songs work serves as the secret ingredient here, too.
Fieldwork is a laboratory of peers trying out ideas that relies on fellow virtuosos with excellent insights to execute right. Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman and Tyshawn Sorey come back from seventeen years off to execute with a vengeance on Thereupon.
Thereupon is available now, from Bandcamp.
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