Ex Machina by Steve Lehman & Orchestre National de Jazz

If you’re into some of the classic big band jazz records, get ready for the ultimate subversion of this once chart-topping sound. Ex Machina by Steve Lehman and Orchestre National de Jazz fuses the massive-sounding lead lines from the big band era with some of the most outlandish solo performances imaginable. Rather than have the band jam out on some smooth chords in the background, the solo support on this record at times feels so crunchy as to fight for attention with the soloists, a battle which the soloists fight hard and win every time. Through every twist and turn of Ex Machina, this jazz orchestra either cascades together over rocky polyrhythms or creates orderly lead lines out of thin air, at times breaking moments of complete silence with these wild, perfectly-synchronized, fluttering lines. Seeing this century-old genre flower so beautifully with contemporary stewardship really knocks that whole argument that some types of pop music will just never elevate themselves to the level of high art.

- Michael