Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Steve Lacy - Roswell Rudd Quartet: Early and Late
Steve Lacy - Roswell Rudd Quartet: Early and Late
Other than Trickles (Black Saint, 1976) and Monk's Dream (Verve, 2000), their vibrant piano-less quartet work remains largely undocumented. The only official record of their original 1960s quartet is the low fidelity live album, School Days (Hatology, 1963). Early and Late augments these few historical milestones with expertly recorded live performances from 1999 and 2002, and previously unreleased archival studio sessions from 1962.
The live cuts feature the duo joined by Lacy's regular touring trio of bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel and drummer John Betsch. Expansive pieces conveyed with the casual camaraderie of a freewheeling jam session, the quartet members take extended, unhurried solos. Rudd plays comic relief to Lacy's straight man, buzzing, slurring and growling with ribald spontaneity. Lacy's geometrically abstract phrasing is methodical, but always lyrical. His understated, breathy tone is a perfect complement to Rudd's gruff snarl and groan.
Original School Days quartet bassist Bob Cunningham and drummer Dennis Charles are featured on four demo tunes drawn from a recently discovered 1962 session. The only known studio recordings of this seminal line-up, these selections offer a concise snapshot of the quartet's burgeoning mastery with limber, swinging brevity.
The conceptual thread that flows through all the pieces, regardless of their vintage, is Lacy and Rudd's abiding love for the music of Thelonious Monk. One of his most loyal advocates, Lacy played briefly with Monk in 1960, subsequently recording entire albums of the pianist's compositions throughout his career. Rounded out by a few Lacy and Rudd originals and a rare, early Cecil Taylor composition, the tunes all embody a quirky melodic sensibility, beguiling but slightly skewed; much like Monk's own unique aesthetic.
Early and Late provides an invaluable window into a forty-year collaborative process that ranks among the greatest achievements in modern jazz.
Visit Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd on the web.
Track Listing
CD1: The Rent; The Bath; The Hoot; Blinks; Light Blue; Bookioni. CD2: Bamako; Twelve Bars; Bone; Eronel (take 2); Tune 2; Think Of One; Eronel (take 3).
Personnel
Steve Lacy
saxophone, sopranoSteve Lacy: soprano saxophone; Roswell Rudd: trombone; Jean-Jacques Avenel: bass (CD1, CD2#1-3); John Betsch: drums (CD1, CD2#1-3); Bob Cunningham: bass (CD2#4-7); Dennis Charles: drums (CD2#4-7).
Album information
Title: Early and Late | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Cuneiform Records
About Steve Lacy
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