| Jazz |
Steve Allee’s “Full Circle”: A Majestic Confluence of Jazz and Symphonic Poetry
If, like us, you have a fondness for masterfully crafted musical writing, then chances are you’ve been eagerly anticipating the latest offering from renowned composer and pianist Steve Allee. Your patience will be richly rewarded in early August with the arrival of Full Circle, an opulent new album that showcases Allee not merely leading a big band, but rather, conducting what one might call a symphonic jazz orchestra, an ensemble whose grandeur and poetic subtlety transcend standard genre definitions.
Full Circle is a triumph of orchestration, in which symphonic textures and jazz idioms intertwine with breathtaking fluidity. The arrangements are sweeping without being ostentatious, lush without ever sacrificing clarity. It is a body of work that elevates beauty and aesthetic nuance above all else, a sonic tapestry in which every solo emerges not just as a technical flourish but as a lyrical statement set against a shimmering, ever-shifting backdrop.
The album opens with “Circle City,” a piece that serves as both a sonic prologue and a narrative invitation. Here, Allee metaphorically takes you by the hand, guiding you into a richly layered world that is as visually evocative as the album’s artwork. There’s a cinematic quality to the music, one born of Allee’s decades-long career not only as a jazz musician but also as a composer for radio, television, and film. His deep experience in these media has imbued his work with a sense of storytelling and atmosphere that few in the genre possess. His ability to evoke place, mood, and emotion through orchestration is not merely impressive, it is transporting.
Steve Allee, a veteran of over 35 years, has long been a pillar of the American jazz scene. Based in Indianapolis, a city with a rich jazz heritage, he has absorbed and internalized the legacy of hometown greats such as Wes Montgomery, Slide Hampton, J.J. Johnson, and Freddie Hubbard. But rather than being content to dwell in the echoes of the past, Allee has forged a distinctive and forward-looking voice, one that respects the jazz tradition even as it dares to reshape it.
From a strictly jazz perspective, Full Circle adheres faithfully to the genre’s conventions, there’s swing, there’s syncopation, there are masterful solos. But in its arrangement and execution, the music sounds firmly rooted in the 21st century. The brass sections shimmer and sway with a contemporary sensibility, and the rhythms pulse with a life that feels both timeless and entirely new. This is an album that invites multiple listens, not merely to enjoy it again, but to uncover the many hidden layers and subtle inflections that might elude you the first time around. Even after ten plays, you may find yourself surprised by a chord progression here, a counter-melody there, a rhythmic motif that suddenly stands out in relief. It is this richness, this depth of construction, that places Allee in the company of the most vital composers working today, alongside figures like Gregg Hill or Anthony Branker.
At times, the compositional architecture recalls the grandeur of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. There is a similar sense of musical tableau, of discrete movements that each evoke a particular scene, emotion, or visual landscape. Allee, like Mussorgsky, writes with a painterly ear—his orchestrations conjure not just sounds but spaces, narratives, even memories. It is music designed not just to be heard but to be experienced.
While Full Circle is his most symphonic endeavor to date, Allee’s discography is deep and varied. His previous trio albums, Dragonfly (2008) and Colors (2007), were intimate yet exploratory collaborations with bassist Bill Moring and drummer Tim Horner, occasionally joined by saxophonists Rich Perry and Rob Dixon. Jazz critic Ken Franckling, writing about Dragonfly, aptly observed that “from beginning to end, Dragonfly makes it abundantly clear this is a group in which each musician finds the interaction exhilarating. This trio is about maximizing the musical experience, as great jazz should be.”
That sense of interplay, of musicians in dialogue, rather than merely in concert, persists on Full Circle, even amidst the grander ensemble. The solos are not mere breaks in the orchestration; they are narrative digressions, meditations within the broader story. And while the scale may have increased, the intimacy remains.
Ultimately, Full Circle stands as one of the most accomplished jazz compositions of the year, an album that bridges the divide between jazz and classical traditions with remarkable grace. It is a work that will delight purists and adventurous listeners alike, offering something familiar and yet entirely fresh.
For those willing to listen with open hearts and open minds, Full Circle offers a kind of transcendent joy, an experience that reaffirms what great music can do: transport, transform, and, above all, connect.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, July 15th 2025
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Musicians :
Steve Allee – Piano – Fender Rhodes – composer
John Clayton – Conductor
Saxophones & Woodwinds:
Michael Stricklin – flute, soprano & alto saxophone
Matt Pivec – clarinet, alto saxophone
Chip McNeill – clarinet & tenor saxophone
Rob Dixon – soprano & tenor saxophone
Ned Boyd – bass clarinet & baritone saxophone
Trumpets/ Flugelhorns:
Joey Tartell – lead trumpet
Derrick Gardner
Ansyn Banks
John Raymond
Jeff Conrad
Trombones:
Jim Pugh – lead trombone
Zach Granger
Rich Dole
Jared Rodin – (bass)
Russell Burge – vibes & percussion
Sandy Williams – guitar
Brian Kilgore – percussion
Jeremy Allen – bass
Steve Houghton – drums
Erin Benedict – vocals – Full Circle
Tracklist :
Circle City
The Avenue
Brothers
Zeebs
Full Circle
Ransome Place
Space
Executive Producers:
Rob Dixon
David Allee
Don & Susan Foley
Stan & Alice Hillis
Dion & Sue Wickcliff
Greg Reynolds
Chris Scanlon
Warren & Janet Ward
Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
Special thanks to:
Rob Dixon – Artistic & Educational Director, musician, educator –
Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
David Allee – Festival Director – The Jazz Kitchen, owner – Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
Marc Sciscoe – President 2024 – Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
David Westenberger – President 2025 – Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
Elaine Eckhart – Development Director – Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
LuAnn Lietz – Operations Manager, artist – Indianapolis Jazz Foundation
Kyle Long – Liner Notes – Host and Producer – WFYI Cultural Manifesto & Echoes of Indiana Avenue
Jacob Belser – recording engineer, owner Primary Sound Studios
Brendan Pearce Vaughn – Video & Editing
Mark Sheldon – Mark Sheldon Photography
Paul Yinger – Cover Art & Graphic Design – Yinger Design Group
Kate Smith – Kate Smith Promotions
Chelsea Hughey – Social Media, drummer & music educator
Michael Bloom – Michael Bloom Media Relations
Sean Imboden – Assistant producer
Judith Thomas – Deputy Mayor, Indianapolis, IN
Carol Allee – production assistant
David Murray – production assistant