{"id":11220,"date":"2025-09-01T23:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T04:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11220"},"modified":"2025-09-05T06:41:27","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T11:41:27","slug":"review-fieldwork-thereupon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-fieldwork-thereupon\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Fieldwork&#8217;s &#8216;Thereupon&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Fresh off their <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/edges-big-ears-2025\/\" title=\"\">appearance at the Big Ears Festival, &nbsp;which this author unfortunately missed<\/a>, the trio Fieldwork return with their first album in almost two decades, <em>Thereupon <\/em>(Pi, 2025). You will likely not find three more decorated individuals in any trio than those in this band: <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?s=vijay+iyer\" title=\"\">Vijay Iyer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?s=steve+lehman\" title=\"\">Steve Lehman<\/a>, and Tyshawn Sorey. Pianist Iyer is a MacArthur Fellow, A United States Artist Fellow, and a three-time Grammy nominee. Drummer Sorey, also a MacArthur Fellow and United States Artist Fellow, received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his composition \u201cAdagio (for <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?s=wadada+leo+smith\" title=\"\">Wadada Leo Smith<\/a>).\u201d Saxophonist Lehman is a Guggenheim Fellow and Doris Duke Performing Artist whose longstanding trio, augmented by Mark Turner, <a href=\"https:\/\/artsfuse.org\/313711\/the-annual-francis-davis-jazz-critics-poll-sharing-what-we-know-at-mid-year\/\" title=\"\">won the mid-year Francis Davis Critics&#8217; Poll<\/a> for<em> The Music of Anthony Braxton <\/em>(Pi, 2025). Credit for the compositions on <em>Thereupon<\/em> is shared by Iyer (five) and Lehman (four), while the trio collectively developed the arrangements for all. Iyer plays acoustic piano and Rhodes while altoist Lehman and drummer Sorey remain acoustic throughout. Despite the gap between recordings, these three have often collaborated in different settings, developing their intuitive language in creative music. All are fearless and function without any notion of hierarchy, with an emphasis on listening and interplay. While the album\u2019s pieces are composed, none are fully through-composed, allowing for creation in the moment and the unique interplay that is theirs alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=656126165\/album=4189545881\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Iyer\u2019s \u201cPropaganda\u201d leads off with the pianist\u2019s right-hand riffs and dense left-hand chords, inviting Lehman to enter with bursts and jabs as he rides above churning rhythms from Iyer and Sorey, only to end abruptly as if a derailed train. Lehman\u2019s angular \u201cEmbracing Difference\u201d also moves along with boiled intensity. As evident throughout, Lehman seems to use every key on his horn, sometimes even reaching into microtonal fingerings. Sorey is stormy on this one, even as he maintains the groove. Iyer doesn\u2019t overplay but simply gives the piece what it needs, revving up before freeing himself entirely with his own solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=1569930026\/album=4189545881\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Iyer penned Evening Rite\u201d is a somewhat scalar piece with start-stop rhythms. It features the pianist\u2019s pulsating keys, but what stands out in several places are the unison lines between him and Lehman in yet another energetic burner, though decelerating as if losing they are fuel as it goes out. \u201cFire City,\u201d as one would expect, finds the trio burning with abandon, especially Iyer, who composed the piece. Sorey plays both with ferocity and subtlety, guiding the trio through the various sections to a volcanic climax. Lehman takes the intro on his \u201cDomain,\u201d which later explodes into a kaleidoscope of intensity, notes ricocheting off one another when his trio mates join. It\u2019s another piece that\u2019s of supreme complex rhythmicality, the kind that only a trio of this caliber could deftly navigate.  Lehman\u2019s high-pitched riffs pose questions to the ether before they meet responses from Iyer and Sorey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFantome\u201d reveals the saxophonist\u2019s penchant for angular and high-level syncopation. Interestingly, contrary to some ot the others, Lehman delivers plenty of low-register lines here, surfing above Iyer\u2019s Rhodes. Lehman\u2019s \u201cAstral\u201d is the first of a few moments on the record that we dare call \u2018meditative.\u201d Iyer is back on the piano, while Sorey takes to the brushes as Lehman spins his more sustained, spacey lines. The piece evolves into vibrancy in a call-and-response way between sax and drums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u200bIyer\u2019s title track is a tour de force for the pianist. Iyer says that the piece draws inspiration from \u201ca moment near the beginning of the Buddhist foundational text, the <em>Vimalakirti Sutra<\/em>, where the world is shown to be much more than it appears: <em>\u2018Thereupon the Buddha touched the ground of this billion-world galactic universe with his big toe, and suddenly it was transformed into a huge mass of precious jewels, a magnificent array of many hundreds of thousands of clusters of precious gems\u2026\u2019 &nbsp;<\/em>Musically, he says he used a telescopic form that reveals more as you zoom in. At over eight minutes, Iyer\u2019s \u201cThe Night Before\u201d is by far the album\u2019s lengthiest piece. He creates a spacey, ethereal, and mysterious vibe through both the Rhodes and its effects, as well as the piano. It is contradictorily equally calming and disorienting, remaining &nbsp;unclear where the piece is headed, leaving constant surprises for the listener along the way. Weirdly, it evokes the band Weather Report, giving it an entirely different feel than the opening tracks. Sorey\u2019s cymbal flourishes are particularly central to the piece.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fieldwork is fully engaging. There are no limits to the imagination of this trio. Most listeners will want to replay <em>Thereupon<\/em> several times. If doing so, concentrate on a different member of the trio each time; you are bound to find something fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>&#8216;Thereupon&#8217; will be released on September 5, 2025 on Pi Recordings. It can be <a href=\"https:\/\/fieldworktheband.bandcamp.com\/album\/thereupon\" title=\"\">purchased on Bandcamp<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo Credit: Lynne Harty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fresh off their appearance at the Big Ears Festival, &nbsp;which this author unfortunately missed, the trio Fieldwork return with their first album in almost two decades, Thereupon (Pi, 2025). You will likely not find three more decorated individuals in any trio than those in this band: Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman, and Tyshawn Sorey. Pianist Iyer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":11222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":155,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/9-19-25-Fieldwork-Credit_LynneHarty-780x525-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-2UY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4818,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-tyshawn-sorey-trios-mesmerism\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":0},"title":"Review: Tyshawn Sorey Trio\u2019s \u2018Mesmerism\u2019","author":"John Chacona","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Did any artist have a better 2021 than Tyshawn Sorey? The 2017 MacArthur Fellow was the subject of a New York Times Magazine profile, premiered recordings of two large ensemble compositions, and received acclaim for albums with saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh, DJ\/producer King Britt. Not to mention his role in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/882c1d56-da2d-49c7-a2c8-5afb42cb944c.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/882c1d56-da2d-49c7-a2c8-5afb42cb944c.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/882c1d56-da2d-49c7-a2c8-5afb42cb944c.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/882c1d56-da2d-49c7-a2c8-5afb42cb944c.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":561,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/rob-shepherds-favorite-jazz-albums-of-the-2010s\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":1},"title":"Rob Shepherd&#8217;s Favorite Jazz Albums: 2009-2019","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"December 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Editorial Note: Although PostGenre is the home of more than just \"jazz\" music, much of \"jazz\" consists of an amalgamation of various styles and approaches to music. This list, a republication of one that appeared on Nextbop on December 24, 2019, particularly shows the eclecticism of much of today's \"jazz.\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"best of 2010s","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Rob-Shepherd-Favorite-Jazz-Albums-Decade.jpg?fit=1024%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Rob-Shepherd-Favorite-Jazz-Albums-Decade.jpg?fit=1024%2C475&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Rob-Shepherd-Favorite-Jazz-Albums-Decade.jpg?fit=1024%2C475&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Rob-Shepherd-Favorite-Jazz-Albums-Decade.jpg?fit=1024%2C475&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11172,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/strange-heavens-oh-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":2},"title":"Review: Linda May Han Oh\u2019s \u2018Strange Heavens\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"August 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The comparison of a familiar hell to a strange heaven drives Australian-born bassist and composer Linda May Han Oh\u2019s thinking for her trio album Strange Heavens (Biophilia, 2025). It is far too easy to be lulled by society\u00a0 into complacency and benign acceptance of social and political conditions. Strange Heavens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1162.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1162.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1162.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/img_1162.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6283,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/iyer-newport-jazz-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":3},"title":"Magic is Real: Vijay Iyer Previews the &#8216;Love in Exile&#8217; Trio&#8217;s 2023 Newport Jazz Festival Performance","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Often the best music seemingly transports the listener - by the artist\u2019s direction - to another time and place. The music envelopes the audience, disorienting them temporarily but ultimately giving them a path to follow. While recordings can capture this mystifying experience, it is truly the live performance in which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20210303_VijayIyer_EbruYildiz_3691.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20210303_VijayIyer_EbruYildiz_3691.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20210303_VijayIyer_EbruYildiz_3691.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/20210303_VijayIyer_EbruYildiz_3691.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":422,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-tyshawn-sorey-marilyn-crispells-the-adornment-of-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":4},"title":"Review: Tyshawn Sorey &#038; Marilyn Crispell&#8217;s &#8216;The Adornment of Time&#8217;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"November 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"A single fully-improvised piece of over an hour in length, percussionist Tyshawn Sorey and pianist Marilyn Crispell\u2019s The Adornment of Time is a challenging work. It is not simple, danceable, easily listenable, or intended as background music. It is highly unlikely the listener will fully grasp its importance upon first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Adornment-of-Time.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Adornment-of-Time.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Adornment-of-Time.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Adornment-of-Time.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/The-Adornment-of-Time.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4906,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/2022-newport-preview-sunday\/","url_meta":{"origin":11220,"position":5},"title":"What to See at the 2022 Newport Jazz Festival &#8211; Sunday","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Especially after attending for nearly two decades, this author has a deep admiration and respect for the Newport Jazz Festival. Our site extensively covers the history of the legendary festival from before its formation to the present. Under normal circumstances, our site would feature coverage from Fort Adams of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/P80600961.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/P80600961.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/P80600961.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/P80600961.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11220"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11244,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11220\/revisions\/11244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}