Steve Lehman Octet

We knew that Travail, Transformation and Flow—a 2009 release by saxist-composer Steve Lehman's Octet—was a strong effort when it came out, but it's grown on us hugely in the intervening years. We'd venture to say that there's no more state-of-the-art jazz ensemble in the city than this band, which combines sleek, electronica-inspired rhythms with luminous horn arrangements informed by Lehman's contemporary-classical studies and torrid soloing. Here, the Octet celebrates Mise en Abîme, its long-awaited second LP, an album every bit as radical yet welcoming as the one that preceded it.