Steve Lacy - Master of the soprano saxophone

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I've just read an email from K. Fasteau. She passes along the sad news given to her by Bobby Few and Noah Howard, that Steve Lacy has died. Probably the greatest soprano saxophone player the world has seen; possibly only Bechet could be considered better. But I'm not really interested in that particular debate. I'd just like to remember the man for the pleasure his music has given me. Despite the fact that he was a frequent visitor to my city, I only caught him live twice, and I'm already regretting that I didn't take advantage of other opportunities. The solo concert he performed at the Empty Bottle in 1999 was astonishing; full of the knotty rhythmic geometry and joyful lyricism that always informed his playing.

I categorized this under "Say Something Interesting About"; I didn't want to put the only thread about this legend under "obit". It just didn't seem right. So, let's say something interesting about a guy who made tons of wonderful music with just everybody - from his beloved idol Thelonious Monk in the early 60s to the likes of Philip Jeck a couple of years ago - and in an equally staggering array of contexts - from short experiments with tapes and overdubs to his celebrated marathon solo performances. Indeed those latter are where he really shines for me. His solo recordings are never less than interesting; in a form that demands a lot of a listener, he was always playful, cunning and inspired.

― Broheems (diamond), Friday, 4 June 2004 07:27 (twenty years ago) link

I have to admit that I'm not familiar with Lacy's music and the first thing I think about when hearing his name is the fact that The Wire (magazine) was named after one of his tracks.
RIP :(

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 4 June 2004 16:16 (twenty years ago) link

that's too bad. i love 'the gap' and i'm no big jazz guy, it's just great music.

― duke the, Friday, 4 June 2004 16:22 (twenty years ago) link

I'm not big jazz fan, either, but I've heard recordings here and there that I've liked by him. The one time I saw him perform live, he had a very strong stage presence; and even at the points when I wasn't deeply into the music, I was impressed with the rapport that existed between him and the other members of his band (quartet?--I don't remembmer).

― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 4 June 2004 16:31 (twenty years ago) link

oh fuck, no way! I am depressed now. He was a great one.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 4 June 2004 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

a true one. rest in peace.

― andybeta, Friday, 4 June 2004 17:01 (twenty years ago) link

btw I think I was at that solo show, and it was great. I'm more into ensemble work but that one had me pretty into it for the duration.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 4 June 2004 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

Aw shit! That's terrible news! Damn. Now I'm really pissed off. He had just moved back to the States too. I was looking forward to having him playing around here more frequently. Damn it.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 4 June 2004 17:14 (twenty years ago) link

Sorry for the inappropriate language. This just really caught me off-guard.

― o. nate (onate), Friday, 4 June 2004 17:16 (twenty years ago) link

flarg!
dude... can... uh... no, i guess i can't ask people to stop dying.

rip.
m.

― msp, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:01 (twenty years ago) link

fuck a cancer.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:25 (twenty years ago) link

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:27 (twenty years ago) link

goddamit we lose Lacy, Quine and Bathory in the space of a week and all the press can talk about is a lousy actor.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:31 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, I was pretty bummed out by the dearth of responses to this thread. Maybe people didn't see it before. I didn't put 'RIP' in the title cuz at the time I wasn't sure whether he was gone or not. The guy was really one of the musical titans of the 20th century. I think, anyway. There was a pretty good segment on him on the Weekend All Things Considered.

― Broheems (diamond), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:42 (twenty years ago) link

here (you have to scroll down, i can't figure out how to direct link the segment; it's like the fourth or fifth link down the page):

http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=6-Jun-2004

― Broheems (diamond), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:43 (twenty years ago) link

never got to see him perform, but Rova did a sublime version of his 'Saxophone Special' with Yoshihide, Ikue Mori & Nels Cline. I want to hear more.

― (Jon L), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 20:57 (twenty years ago) link

Man, this is not a gd year for jazz cats...

I've only dipped my toes into the Lacy discog, but he seems to have been pretty much the first musician to have any idea about how to play w/ Cecil Taylor, and I adore the all-Monk '58 alb Reflections, w/ Elvin Jones RIP, Mal Waldron and Buell Neidlinger - a good intro alb, I would've thought.

I think the very last Actuel alb was a Lacy rec - the pretty free 'Moon' (another good'un.) Wld v. much like to hear his ESP rec.

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 21:07 (twenty years ago) link

'weal and woe' sounds pretty good right now.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 21:24 (twenty years ago) link

two years pass...

Any more suggestions of places to start?

― toby, Wednesday, 21 March 2007 23:24 (seventeen years ago) link

As somebody pretty new to his work, I've found "The Window" to be a great starting point. It's a trio session from the 80s that has a lot of inside/outside dynamics, if that helps. I'm pretty sure I found it at curved-air dotcom , but I don't know if it's still there.

― Sparkle Motion, Sunday, 25 March 2007 06:06 (seventeen years ago) link

I saw Lacy in DC in 1989 in some little basement joint. It was amazing. I dragged my dad along for the midnight show - and as an early morning person he dozed off right in front of the stage. the other horn player put his soprano sax right up to my dad's ear and started making snoring noises. classic.

― UncleTomfly, Sunday, 25 March 2007 09:02 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

"Weal and Woe" is a killer record - listening to that a couple of nights ago, a lot of erm structured noise to it. More deep listening to that one needed.

― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 3 December 2008 10:11 (sixteen years ago) link

fifteen years pass...

Been on a BIG Lacy kick lately. Gettin' fuckin' Laced, I call it.

Enjoying:
-"Chirps" duo w/ Evan Parker
-"Live At Sweet Basil"
-"The Gap"
-"The Flame"
-"Dreams"
-"Call Notes" duo w/ Walter Zuber Armstrong
-"Flim Flam" duo w/ Steve Potts
-"Snips"

Once his playing and style of composing clicked w/ me, I went in deep, and thankfully still have a lot more I get to listen to!

― ian, Monday, 26 February 2024 18:37 (ten months ago) link

I do like a bit of Steven Norman Lackritz (learned his real name from the Robin D G Kelley Monk book!)

― vodkaitamin effrtvescent (calzino), Monday, 26 February 2024 21:23 (ten months ago) link

He's great. Some more good ones: Quartet - "Revenue", Solo - "Remains", "Mal Waldron with the Steve Lacy Quintet".

― o. nate, Monday, 26 February 2024 22:27 (ten months ago) link

^absolutely love that waldron collab. was recently listening to this lacy related lp with an interesting combination of players: https://www.discogs.com/release/1960539-Giorgio-Gaslini-Meets-Jean-Luc-Ponty-Steve-Lacy-Harry-Becket-Tony-Oxley-Gianni-Bedori-Bruno-Tommaso-

― no lime tangier, Tuesday, 27 February 2024 09:44 (ten months ago) link

LOL @ gettin' Laced, something which I suspect might even occasionally coincide w/ gettin' Monked up

― The Roadman Bill Callahan II (Craig D.), Tuesday, 27 February 2024 16:25 (ten months ago) link

(or even feelin' Ire'e [Aebi, that is])

― The Roadman Bill Callahan II (Craig D.), Tuesday, 27 February 2024 16:28 (ten months ago) link

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