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Jason Stein
Jason Stein is among the mere handful of improvisers who play the bass clarinet exclusively. Stein leads the acclaimed trio Locksmith Isidore as well as his own quartet. He contributes to several of the leading bands on Chicago’s new-music scene and has brought a vital voice to the freest of free-jazz jams. Stein’s playing showcases an extraordinary expertise on the bass clarinet, which ranges from powerful post-bop lines to ear-grabbing wails in the altissimo range. Chicago writer Neil Tesser notes that “Stein’s playing has a rawboned swagger particular to Chicago jazz in all its manifestations – from the trad playing of Bud Freeman and Jimmy McPartland in the 20s, through the tenor titans of the 50s, through the adventurers who formed the AACM in the 60s, and right up to the city’s renowned modern cadre of new-music improvisers.” Stein moved to Chicago in 2005 and has since recorded for such labels as Leo, Delmark, Not Two, Atavistic, 482 Music, Clean Feed, Astral Spirits, and Northern Spy. Stein has performed throughout the US and Europe as both a bandleader and sideman and has amassed a discography of over 40 albums.
Awards
All About Jazz "Best of 2008 Honorable Mention" for Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore-A Calculus of Loss
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Jason Stein: Anchors
by Jerome Wilson
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 ...
Continue ReadingJason Stein: Anchors
by Mark Corroto
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 ...
Continue ReadingJason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Volumes & Surfaces
by Glenn Astarita
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 ...
Continue ReadingJason Stein / Marilyn Crispell / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: spi-raling horn
by Glenn Astarita
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 ...
Continue ReadingJason Stein, Chet Baker and Ingrid Laubrock Plus a Tribute to Ahmad Jamal
by Jerome Wilson
This show, from May, features a tribute to the late Ahmad Jamal, plus old and new music from Jason Stein, Ingrid Laubrock, Chet Baker, and others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Courtney Pine “Sister Soul" from Devotion (Telarc) 00:48 Marc Cary “Equilibrium" from Life Lessons (Self-Produced) 5:08 Cannonball Adderley “One Man's Dream" from Cannonball Plays Zawinul (Capitol) 8:15 ...
Continue ReadingNatural Information Society: Since Time is Gravity
by Danen Jobe
The concept of trance is one of the oldest in the world. Many older music forms embraced trance for their rituals. One is the Gnawa musical tradition originating in Kano, Nigeria and Morocco, which uses double and triple notes repeated sometimes for hours to induce a religious state while the singer sings stories of spirits. It is played on a gimbri (aka sintir or hajhuj), a three stringed instrument featuring one short and two long goat gut strings over a ...
Continue ReadingJason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Volumes & Surfaces
by Mark Corroto
Damon Smith might be the hardest working man in show business. Free-jazz show business, that is. If there is a performance or recording somewhere in the States or Europe, there is a very good chance his double bass is in attendance. You name an improvising artist and he's recorded with them, from Roscoe Mitchell to Joe Morris, Jaap Blonk, Joëlle Léandre, Peter Kowald, Sandy Ewen, Burton Greene, Joe McPhee, Fred Van Hove and Henry Kaiser. The list is practically endless. ...
Continue ReadingEnter the "Jason Stein - The Story This Time" CD Giveaway at All About Jazz!
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Justin Vargo
Jason Stein Quartet - The Story This Time (Delmark, 2011)
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Music and More by Tim Niland
Choosing to focus on the bass clarinet makes Jason Stein a unique figure in jazz. While notables like Eric Dolphy and David Murray have used the instrument as part of their repertoire, Stien's focus on the instrument has led him to develop his own unique voice. The remainder of the quartet consists of Keefe Jackson on tenor saxophone and and contrabass clarinet, Josh Abrams on bass and Frank Rosaly on drums. “Background Music" and “Lennie Bird" bookend the album with ...
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Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - Three Kinds of Happiness (Not Two, 2010) ****1/2
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Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels
By Guy Peters I have a soft spot for the bass clarinet. The quirky look of the instrument certainly has something to do with that. Also the fact that it has rather few practitioners and the realisation that some of them (like Rudi Mahall and Louis Sclavis) do tremendous things with it. Of course, there's also the peculiar, bleating sound, especially in the lower register. As it happens, the latter is almost absent on this third album by Jason Stein's ...
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Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - Three Kinds of Happiness (Nottwo, 2010)
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Music and More by Tim Niland
Locksmith Isidore if bass clarinetist Jason Stein's trio with Jason Roebke on bass and Mike Pride on drums, playing a classy thoughtful blend of free jazz and more mainstream improvisation, music that would fit in well at a jazz club or art-house performance space. Stein has a strong woody tone that permeates the recording, while Roebke and Pride create a shifting and continually moving foundation that simultaneously supports and challenges the leader. They play with a light touch that keeps ...
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Chicago Bass Clarinetist Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore Releases Third CD "Three Kinds of Happiness," on Not Two Records - November 30, 2010
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Fully Altered Media
Featuring Jason Roebke (bass) and Michael Pride (drums) There are many who embrace tradition, and jazz's recent history is replete with acolytes of a certain era or style. Bass clarinetist Jason Stein is cut from a very different cloth however, and Three Kinds of Happiness, the new album by his trio, Locksmith Isidore, demonstrates just how deeply and completely he has assimilated the past—his own and that of the music—while maintaining his own voice, as a composer and as a ...
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Jason Stein and Ombak at the Camel, 5/6/08
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All About Jazz
"It just kind of felt like home, it was more natural than straight ahead music. Free jazz was very modern, everything else was a throw back," said bass clarinetist Jason Stein.On Tuesday, free jazz forces from Richmond and Chicago will be joining up at The Camel at 9pm for what promises to be a very modern evening.Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore from Chicago will be pairing up with Bryan Hooten's group Ombak, which should have a near ...
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"Stein is exhilarating, a young master of his fiendishly difficult horn. Stein is a player to look out for." - Chris May, All About Jazz "Stein stands apart from the standard instrumental lineage. Whereas a player like Eric Dolphy or Michel Portal builds on wide intervallic leaps and verticality, Stein (like Michel Pilz, Rudi Mahall or John Tchicai) operates in a horizontal fashion, favoring a breadth of twists and turns more sideways than anything else, woven into a post-Ornette fabric." - Clifford Allen, All About Jazz
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Three Ruminations
From: Seven BridgesBy Jason Stein
Fall Dog Bombs the Moon
From: Seven BridgesBy Jason Stein
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Jason Stein
Location: Chicago
Instrument: Clarinet, bass
Born: December 6, 1976
Publicist: Fully Altered Media
