• The Steve Lehman Trio on NPR’s Favorite Sessions playing music from Dialect Fluorescent
• Dialect Fluorescent reviewed in The New York Times by Nate Chinen, “”The alto saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman has earned a reputation for sure-footed futurism… some smartly stuttering original pieces… several tunes from the jazz repertory… which serves as a springboard, sending the trio off in a swift trajectory, slicing through the air.”
• Dialect Fluorescent previewed on TheAwl.com by Seth Colter Walls, ” “… this new recording leans heavily on some older jazz covers. One in particular, John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice,” is particularly cool… groove and intellectualism can naturally co-exist.”

posted on March 27 by Seth

Nice review of the recent Fieldwork in the Brooklyn Rail. “There is a class of composers and musicians today, however, who specialize in virtuosity—the virtuosity of improvisational collaboration, insightful innovation, and instrumental mastery without synthetic alteration. Among this rarefied group, Fieldwork—the trio of Vijay Iyer on piano, Steve Lehman on saxophone, and Tyshawn Sorey on percussion—stands out.” So true.

posted on March 1 by Yulun

As we approach the end of the year, we wanted to recognize some of the great press our newest releases have received:

Inana - Amir ElSaffar

“The music deftly combines jazz and Middle Eastern music in a unique way, finding common ground in improvisation… ElSaffar’s studies in both jazz and ethnic music have placed him in good stead to carve out a unique place in the current improvised music. His music and musicial concept is clearly evolving, and this is a very exciting development.”
— Jazz and Blues

“Gracefully poised between two worlds, Inana builds upon ElSaffar's previous accomplishments, establishing an impressive precedent for the creative possibilities of a new global jazz aesthetic.”
— AllAboutJazz

Oblique-I - Tyshawn Sorrey

“One of five drummers whose time is Now…. A spectacular young drummer on jazz’s leading edge, Mr. Sorey has proved himself a serious new-music composer besides, sometimes to the point of cerebral severity. But “Oblique-I” just out on Pi, is a riveting album, with compositions custom designed for the same musicians found here.”
— New York Times

“Oblique — I, is mostly the kind of rollicking band album you’d expect from a powerhouse drummer. His melodies are complex and full of surprises, but often light on their feet. Leading by example, Sorey is helping to heal an old rift in contemporary jazz, between musicians for whom swinging is everything and those also interested in other kinds of rhythmic subtleties and complications…. His quintet/quartet plays twisty, turny rhythms that surge ahead and then fall back, typical of jazz’s left flank. But under those zigzag lines, Sorey’s drums barrel along like a runaway tractor trailer. He makes those tricky patterns move.”
— NPR

The Mancy of Sound - Steve Coleman

“A vivacious group effort brimming with intricate cross-hatched melodies, oblique harmonies and kaleidoscopic rhythms, The Mancy of Sound follows Harvesting Semblances and Affinities as the strongest albums of Coleman’s career, reinforcing his significance in the development of contemporary jazz.”
— Point of Departure

“Of all the musicians who followed Coltrane, Ornette and the AACM, Coleman has done the most work and sustained the highest level of innovation and creativity of output and impact.”
— Downbeat

posted on November 10, 2011 by Seth

Tyshawn Sorey’s Oblique-I has been released to great acclaim. Fresh Air’s Kevin Whitehead reviewed it last week, describing it as “… mostly the kind of rollicking band album you’d expect from a powerhouse drummer. His melodies are complex and full of surprises, but often light on their feet.” Listen to the review HERE.

The Wall Street Journal’s Larry Blumenfeld interviewed Tyshawn for the Journal. Read the interview HERE. Larry says about Tyshawn, “…his strongest impact is as a composer of radical and seemingly boundless ideas.” and describes Oblique-I as “… more like jazz yet still utterly original.”.

posted on October 17, 2011 by Seth

Pi Recordings is profiled in today’s The New York Times!

“… But through a selective release schedule, a careful eye on the budget, a thoughtful approach to promotion and, crucially, a sense of cultivation and commitment to its artists, Pi has not only survived but has also managed to thrive. In the process its catalog has gradually influenced the sound of jazz over the past decade….”

Special thanks to Nate Chinen who wrote the article, and all of you who have supported us over the years.

posted on August 17, 2011 by Yulun