Sat Oct 8, PONCHO Concert Hall, Cornish College of the Arts
Lehman's 2016 album Sélébéyone (featuring the excellent rappers High Priest of Antipop Consortium and Gaston Bandimic) recalls Bill Laswell's polyglot projects from the '90s, with its extraordinary blending of jazz, funk, hiphop, and electro. Lehman's rhythms and melodies smack you with the shock of the new. Similarly, his trio with drummer Damion Reid and bassist Matt Brewer, as heard on 2012's Dialect Fluorescent, is bold and exploratory; you should hear how they extrapolate "Pure Imagination" from the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack. Lehman's ability to improvise in the Max/MSP program has brought innovative wrinkles to his music. Such adventurousness you'd expect from a student of Anthony Braxton and Alvin Lucier.
Sat Oct 8, Royal Room
Elsewhere in this paper, Andrew Hamlin describes Honey Ear Trio drummer Allison Miller as "subtle, innovative, a master across genres, including a few nameless ones," and that spirit guides the band, who include bassist/electronics savant Rene Hart and saxophonist Jeff Lederer. Honey Ear Trio are all about challenging your expectations of jazz/rock fusions and highbrow improvisation.
Sun Oct 23, Seattle Art Museum
Be sure to catch Bad Luck—drummer Chris Icasiano and saxophonist Neil Welch—one of Seattle's most explosive and inventive groups in any genre. Their 21st-century fire music induces the most glorious all-synapses-blazing sensation.
Soul Space: Industrial Revelation, D'Vonne Lewis's Triplifried, DJ Riz
Sat Oct 29, V2
Electrifying Stranger Genius Award winners Industrial Revelation have helped to spearhead a renaissance in Seattle's jazz scene, making challenging, eclectic music interesting to a wide range of listeners. Also witness IR drummer D'Vonne Lewis's newish Triplifried project with IR bassist Evan Flory-Barnes and masterly guitarist Andy Coe and the deep, savvy selections of Seattle legend DJ Riz.
Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith Duo
Wed Nov 9, Nordstrom Recital Hall
Two of the world's most accomplished formal experimenters—keyboardist Iyer and trumpeter Smith—will likely replicate the serpentine brilliance and free-range inquisitiveness on their new ECM album, A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke.
