Lex Korten At Close Up

Lex Korten
Close Up
Canopy Release Show
New York, NY
September 19, 2025

Pianist and composer Lex Korten has been an ascendent force in the modern jazz world for several years and his appearance at Close Up represented a milestone moment for the young artist. Korten was celebrating the release his first full-length album of original material, Canopy (Sounderscore Records, 2025). From September 18th-19th, he, alongside a formidable ensemble of likeminded artists in vocalist Claire Dickson , alto saxophonist David Leon , guitarist Tal Yahalom and drummer Stephen Boegehold marked the occasion with two sold-out performances at Close Up.

Korten, a protege of Geri Allen and Benny Green, got his professional start as a member of Tyshawn Sorey's "Unfiltered" sextet in 2018 and has since worked with a long list of acclaimed figures including Lage Lund, Caroline Davis, Joel Ross and Ari Hoenig. In 2021, Korten released Foreword (Self Produced) which documented a live performance from the UNISA Piano Competition where he won first prize. Canopy represents a major evolution of Korten's highly personal and open-hearted approach to music-making that is equally informed by deep senses of environment, emotion, and awareness.

At first glance, an ensemble of alto saxophone, electric guitar, vocals, piano and drums may strike one as odd. In fact, the delicate nuance of this instrumentation acts as a perfect canvas for Korten to establish himself as an original, reflective artistic voice. Throughout Canopy and its release performance, the composer utilized virtually every sonic possibility offered by this special crew to maximum effect, in both composed and improvised settings. Each player was equally adept at background and foreground roles, often fluidly navigating both and playing off all corners of the space; sometime in a single piece. For example, vocalist Claire Dickson would start a piece with poetry floating over the ensemble (like on the arrestingly gorgeous "make/believe") and then suddenly shift to a momentary blend of airy vocables and murmurs intertwined with either Leon's feral sax passages or Yahlom's pointillist guitar textures. The amebic communication between these particular players gave this music a striking sense of impressionistic, explorative facility that conveyed a full sense of uncanny space. Boegehold's propulsive and acutely sensitive drum work heightened the momentum of the set, firmly driving things forward from start to finish.

Similar to how they exist on the album, the compositions performed in the second set at Close Up had a seamless flow into one another in what can best be described as cloudy, pleasant haze. Melodies, improvised passages, grooves, and textural pads unfolded as an extended stream-of-consciousness and were always in some type of motion. While undoubtedly contemplative, Korten's aesthetic is never grounded in the most literal sense of the word. There was a sense of intense and careful curation evident throughout which spoke volumes about Korten's taste as a leader and arranger and his choice of collaborative partners, each of whom proved ideal for carrying this vibe across the set. Whether or not one found themselves taking in sublime glacial stillness or suddenly dropped square in the middle of divine cacophony, the ensemble never ceased to commit and engage the packed room.

Almost every title on Canopy references environment and nature but this refers to mental states of mind as much as in a more literal and physical sense. "Wind Chime Watching" is a great example of these elements in play. No one is strictly executing their respective parts in establishing the scene nor are they simply soloing the whole time. Korten is much more of a "watercolor" composer than an ink sketcher and what results is lush and warmly enveloping like an extended dream Korten has invited us to inhabit and reflect upon in real time. It is a tremendous feat for an artist to accomplish such a striking effect, regardless of wherever they happen to be in their careers. This makes it all the more impressive that Korten has been able to explore all these aspects so totally with full boldness and confidence, both on the album and on the bandstand.

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