Jazz Articles about Jason Stein

About Jason Stein

Album Review

Teiku is a Talmudic acronym that translates to “unanswered question," a concept the Chicago-Detroit quartet has adopted as a full artistic identity. Co-leaders Josh Harlow (piano) and Jonathan Barahal (percussion) formed the band after discovering a striking coincidence: Both grew up singing Passover melodies unique to their ancestral Ashkenazi-Ukrainian villages. Passed down by ear through generations from communities wiped out by persecutions, these liturgical songs became the raw material for a creative jazz project that registers as deeply spiritual yet ...

Album Review

Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Five Nights in the Midwest

Read "Five Nights in the Midwest" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 9, 2026

Their tour did not pass through the Rattlesnake Speedway in the Utah desert. Still, the improvising trio of bass clarinetist Jason Stein, bassist Damon Smith, and drummer Adam Shead conjure a similar sense of a gathering force, like the superstorm evoked in Bruce Springsteen's 1978 song “The Promised Land." “There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor," Springsteen sings, heading straight into the storm. Stein, Smith, and Shead do much the same. Their music does not trade in rock ...

Album Review

Jason Stein: Anchors

Read "Anchors" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala

by Giuseppe Segala
May 26, 2025

Il clarinetto basso vanta nel jazz contemporaneo una rosa di solisti eccellenti, a partire da Eric Dolphy, che ha letteralmente inventato un modo di interpretare lo strumento, di valorizzarne colori e incisività espressiva. Però la sua frequentazione, con lo stesso Dolphy e con personalità quali Michel Portal, John Surman, Vinny Golia, Marty Ehrlich, Don Byron, si è sempre affiancata ad altri strumenti, alla ricerca di una duttilità tipica degli esploratori di tavolozze timbriche aperte e audaci. Tra i rari musicisti ...

Album Review

Jason Stein: Anchors

Read "Anchors" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
November 2, 2024

Six years after releasing his previous album, bass clarinetist Jason Stein returns with a new trio recording that goes outside the realm of conventional jazz. He has been undergoing healing therapy in those six years to combat physical injury and this album is inspired by that process. Aided by bassist Joshua Abrams and drummer Gerald Cleaver, Stein constructs trio music that is both meditative and explosive, with the three musicians tightly focused on their collective sound. Stein's playing ...

Album Review

Jason Stein: Anchors

by Mark Corroto
August 31, 2024

Jason Stein would never in a million years characterize Anchors as his variation of A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965). But a comparison can be made. John Coltrane's quartet recording was the most personal and profound statement of his career. The same can be said for Stein and Anchors. He had taken time off from recording and performing due to some chronic pain that plagued him. Stein set about diving deeply into the body, studying massage, specifically trigger point therapy, practicing ...

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Album Review

Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Volumes & Surfaces

Read "Volumes & Surfaces" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
June 16, 2024

Jason Stein, a saxophonist with a penchant for pushing boundaries, brings his avant-garde sensibilities and razor-sharp technique to the fore in Volumes & Surfaces. Known for his dexterous command of the bass clarinet, Stein has made a name for himself in the jazz world with his innovative approach and fearless improvisation. His contributions to this album are no exception, as he seamlessly blends precision with spontaneity, creating a dynamic and engaging listening experience. Stein's work with the trio, alongside bassist ...

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Album Review

Jason Stein / Marilyn Crispell / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: spi-raling horn

Read "spi-raling horn" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 25, 2024

spi-raling horn by these genre-destroying avant-garde jazz artists is a whirlwind journey through the vast landscapes of jazz, where the boundaries between tradition and innovation blur into a kaleidoscope of ultrasonic exploration. This album is not just a collection of tracks, but a sonic crusade led by a quartet of virtuosos who wield their instruments like sorcerers conjuring spells. From the start, listeners are transported into a realm where bass clarinet giant Jason Stein with legendary piano great ...