Jazz Articles about Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy Quintet: Esteem

by Nic Jones
December 9, 2006

Anyone who demands state of the art sound quality needn't read any further. This music was originally captured on a cassette by the late Steve Lacy himself and comes from his own archive, as maintained by his wife, Irene Aebi. Audio restoration hasn't resulted in state of the art reproduction, but when the music is as singular and as vibrantly alive as it is here, the issue is irrelevant.

The band is essentially the same one as Lacy maintained throughout ...

Steve Lacy: Esteem

by Troy Collins
September 22, 2006

Although soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy passed away in 2004, he left behind an archive of private cassette recordings documenting live concerts recorded from the 1970s up to his final gigs. This live set, recorded at the club La Cour des Miracles in Paris on February 26, 1975, captures Lacy's quintet in all its fiery splendor. This release also marks the beginning of The Leap, a new series dedicated to releasing Lacy's private concert recordings to the general public. ...

Steve Lacy & Brion Gysin: Songs

by R. Emmet Sweeney
July 23, 2006

At the end of 1980, the late Steve Lacy expanded his group to a sextet with the addition of pianist Bobby Few. His first recording with this new configuration was Songs, a 1981 collaboration with poet/painter Brion Gysin, best known for his work with William Burroughs.

Lacy and Gysin had worked together as far back as '69, and their rapport is evident here. Lacy states in an interview with Jason Weiss (from Duke University Press' forthcoming anthology Conversations) before the ...

Steve Lacy / Joelle Leandre: One More Time

by AAJ Staff
March 27, 2006

By Ken Waxman

One More Time features French bassist Joëlle Léandre bonding musically with Steve Lacy. Recorded in Brussels during one of the longtime expatriate's farewell to Europe concerts before he relocated to Boston, One More Time is poignant, especially after you hear Lacy's complimentary telephone message to Léandre that is its final track. The CD is doubly valuable because it's one of the saxman's final documents before his death in 2004. But after a half-century as an improviser, Lacy ...

Steve Lacy's Japan Tours: 1975-2004

by Gilles Laheurte
February 15, 2006

As stated in my first article about Steve Lacy and Japan, there is a great deal of mystery about his deep inner connection with Japan, and I reiterate that it should remain that way. Yet, his recorded output during his 12 completed tours is so important--in terms of the music, not in terms of the number of albums released--that it deserves being documented, sticking to facts if nothing else. Unsurprisingly, in line with the aura of mystery that prevails, even ...

Steve Lacy:The Gap; Mal Waldron with the Steve Lacy Quintet

by AAJ Staff
October 21, 2005

Over a year ago we lost a pioneering musician who singlehandedly created a language for the soprano saxophone. Two overdue reissues from this year (both recorded in 1972) and a belated NYC tribute this month help us to commemorate his genius.

Steve Lacy The Gap Verve/Free America 2005 The Gap's title track, initiated with polyphonic quintet blasts followed by momentary silence, pronounces the tune and album's title, its harmonic ...

Steve Lacy: Mr. Soprano

by Gilles Laheurte
October 16, 2005

(Notes for the Steve Lacy-Sound Legacy concert at Merkin Hall, New York City October 06, 2005)“The history of the soprano saxophone begins and ends with Steve Lacy. We owe it to him, him alone, with no help, struggling, white as snow, pure as crystal." ~ Marc-Edouard Nabe, ZigzagsThis bold statement from the mid-1980s may have been dismissed, at the time, as hyperbole from an opinionated, devoted fan. But these simple, powerful words now shape a profound ...