Cliff Englewood Posted April 22, 2009 Report Posted April 22, 2009 I personally always thought -and still think - of Evidence as the masterpiece within the great bunch of session Lacy recorded in those years (Prestiges and Candid). I agree. Reflections and Straight Horn seem to get more attention, but Evidence is the one from those early years I'd take to a desert island. I really love his work on Prestige, "Reflections" is a masterpiece IMHO. I would love to hear the Candid date. Quote
JeanK Posted April 24, 2009 Report Posted April 24, 2009 A few that have not been mentioned very much or at all. Wow - I've got a pretty good Lacy collection, but you've got a few that I don't have. I've been trying to track down a copy of Follies for a while. The 70s are not my favorite decade for Lacy - he himself called some of his music from that era "scratchy" - but I think that two you mention, The Crust and Raps, are among his best from the period. Yes - very rarely see Follies around. It was never reissued on CD as far as I can see. All this Lacy talk has set me off on a listening binge. It is wonderful to have so much of his work recorded! I've also really been picking up on Jean-Jacques Avenel's excellent bass playing - particularly from the late 80's onwards. I had the great pleasure of having dinner with Steve and UK improviser Steve Beresford in 1978 in Berlin. He was totally charming, hugely intelligent and very funny. I wish I could remember more of our conversation although I do remember talking about poetry as well as music - Jack Spicer and Jerome Rothenberg's Technicians of the Scared collection. We were all transfixed at one stage by the German family on the next table who worked their way through four whole roast chickens.... Quote
jeffcrom Posted April 24, 2009 Report Posted April 24, 2009 [All this Lacy talk has set me off on a listening binge. It is wonderful to have so much of his work recorded! I've also really been picking up on Jean-Jacques Avenel's excellent bass playing - particularly from the late 80's onwards. JJ Avenel is one of the most amazing bassists on the planet. I'm not sure how widely this is recognized, though. Quote
JeanK Posted April 24, 2009 Report Posted April 24, 2009 [All this Lacy talk has set me off on a listening binge. It is wonderful to have so much of his work recorded! I've also really been picking up on Jean-Jacques Avenel's excellent bass playing - particularly from the late 80's onwards. JJ Avenel is one of the most amazing bassists on the planet. I'm not sure how widely this is recognized, though. I am beginning to think that if a musician stays with one band for a long time (John Gilmore, Jimmy Lyons etc) that the downside is that they don't the recognition they deserve. Quote
AndrewHill Posted April 25, 2009 Report Posted April 25, 2009 Have Evidence ready to play in the car for my commute tommorow morning. Quote
Guy Berger Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 I recently picked up the Lacy solos/duos/trios box on Soul Note and have been working my way through. "Only Monk" is fantastic - I really like it - but I found "The Flame" to be difficult going. Guy Quote
Pete C Posted January 17, 2012 Report Posted January 17, 2012 The last time I saw Lacy play was when he did the Beat Suite at Iridium, with George Lewis. It was bittersweet--everybody played great, but I had learned from a friend of Steve's, before it was announced officially, that Steve had been diagnosed with cancer earlier that week. You could see the sadness and concern on Irene's face the whole time. The ironic thing is that he and Avenel had been planning to record a duo album in NY, because Steve had been afraid he'd never get the chance again because Jean-Jacques had cancer before Steve was diagnosed. The recording date got canceled, but there is a duo concert floating around in the trading/torrenting world. The last time I saw Lacy was in the audience at a Ran Blake solo concert at Cobi Narita's place (Cobi is a remarkable, eternally young woman). Quote
jeffcrom Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 I wanted my 5000th post to be in this thread. Steve Lacy's music has, for years, been for me a source of both inspiration and chagrin - a lesson on getting to the point, musically, that I still haven't learned in 40 years of playing the saxophone. This postcard is one of my prized possessions: Quote
paul secor Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 I wanted my 5000th post to be in this thread. Steve Lacy's music has, for years, been for me a source of both inspiration and chagrin - a lesson on getting to the point, musically, that I still haven't learned in 40 years of playing the saxophone. This postcard is one of my prized possessions: Very cool, Jeff! Quote
Pete C Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 There will be a Lacy tribute at The Stone in NYC in April: 4/13 Friday 8 and 10 pm ICTUS Tribute to Steve Lacy Joe McPhee, Roberto Ottaviano, Joe Giardullo, Andrew Raffo Dewar, Gilles Laheurte (soprano saxes) 2 sets presenting great soprano players performing Steve Lacy music and improvisations. Quote
Clunky Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 great reading this thread again , I do get the feeling that there aren't any "bad" Lacy records out there, listening again to Clangs Quote
Leeway Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 There will be a Lacy tribute at The Stone in NYC in April: 4/13 Friday 8 and 10 pm ICTUS Tribute to Steve Lacy Joe McPhee, Roberto Ottaviano, Joe Giardullo, Andrew Raffo Dewar, Gilles Laheurte (soprano saxes) 2 sets presenting great soprano players performing Steve Lacy music and improvisations. That is worth heading up I-95 for! It's a very nice thought to present this show, but let's face it: Lacy is inimitable. Nevertheless, will have to put this on the calendar. BTW, I've been dipping into the ICTUS 30th Anniversary box set, which has a lot of Lacy. The Lacy discs are great. Quote
jeffcrom Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 great reading this thread again , I do get the feeling that there aren't any "bad" Lacy records out there, listening again to Clangs Well, I don't much like Alter Ego, a duet with bass clarinetist Walter Zuber Armstrong, but I haven't listened to it in years. Probably time to give it a spin and see if it's grown on me. Quote
Leeway Posted February 19, 2012 Report Posted February 19, 2012 great reading this thread again , I do get the feeling that there aren't any "bad" Lacy records out there, listening again to Clangs Well, I don't much like Alter Ego, a duet with bass clarinetist Walter Zuber Armstrong, but I haven't listened to it in years. Probably time to give it a spin and see if it's grown on me. I liked it the first time, but I liked it a lot more the second time. Hopefully, it works for you on the next spin. Quote
Pete C Posted February 20, 2012 Report Posted February 20, 2012 That is worth heading up I-95 for! Let me know if you do. The guy working the door that night is a friend, and he can point me out. Quote
StarThrower Posted February 26, 2012 Report Posted February 26, 2012 My Lacy collection: Mal Waldron -Hard Talk w/ Lacy and Manfred Schoof The Door Anthem Momentum The Holy La Lacy & Rudd-Early & Late Lacy/Evans-Paris Blues Live At Sweet Basil Quote
Leeway Posted February 26, 2012 Report Posted February 26, 2012 That is worth heading up I-95 for! Let me know if you do. The guy working the door that night is a friend, and he can point me out. Will do. (I know some of the door guys too). Quote
jeffcrom Posted February 27, 2012 Report Posted February 27, 2012 My Lacy collection: Mal Waldron -Hard Talk w/ Lacy and Manfred Schoof The Door Anthem Momentum The Holy La Lacy & Rudd-Early & Late Lacy/Evans-Paris Blues Live At Sweet Basil A nice collection! Check out some of the earlier stuff (although you've got 25 minutes on Early and Late)- Evidence from the early 1960's, Disposability from the middle of the decade, and some early-to-mid 1970's stuff - Trickles, maybe. And you've got to have at least one unaccompanied solo album - 5 X Monk, 5 X Lacy is maybe my favorite, although there are many excellent ones. Quote
colinmce Posted March 26, 2012 Report Posted March 26, 2012 http://www.jazzloft.com/p-55191-estilhacos.aspx Clean Feed has just reissued this, a 1972 recording that was allegedly the first jazz album released in Portugal. I can only assume that this is an incredibly rare Lacy side. Quote
StarThrower Posted March 17, 2013 Report Posted March 17, 2013 My Lacy collection: Mal Waldron -Hard Talk w/ Lacy and Manfred Schoof The Door Anthem Momentum The Holy La Lacy & Rudd-Early & Late Lacy/Evans-Paris Blues Live At Sweet Basil A nice collection! Check out some of the earlier stuff (although you've got 25 minutes on Early and Late)- Evidence from the early 1960's, Disposability from the middle of the decade, and some early-to-mid 1970's stuff - Trickles, maybe. And you've got to have at least one unaccompanied solo album - 5 X Monk, 5 X Lacy is maybe my favorite, although there are many excellent ones. I've been itching for some more Lacy. I think I'm going to get the Soul Note box. I'd love to have the Hat Hut set that Clifford mentioned, but I think it's oop. I listened to the club recording of Seagulls from one of those albums which is sublime and surreal. Such a beautiful performance accompanied by indifferent patrons talking away in the background. Since my last post I picked up One-Upsmanship, and I ordered the 2-fer Sortie/Disposability. Quote
colinmce Posted March 18, 2013 Report Posted March 18, 2013 Yes yes yes on the Soul Note box. The Monk albums are very nice, as are the sets with Waldron but my favorite Lacy material of all is his trio stuff. The Flame and The Window from the box are incredible. Blinks, another top shelf Lacy record on Hat, is in print. Its cut down from the original 2xLP/CD but you can't miss. Quote
Steve Reynolds Posted March 18, 2013 Report Posted March 18, 2013 like much of the Lacy discography but I've NEVER been able to aquire a taste for irene.... my personal favorite has always been Morning Joy on hatART with the bext Steve Potts known on record. Windows (soul note), Cliches (hat) (ithink that is name of the one with George Lewis with the band) and NYC Capers (hat) are all also terrific - none with too much if any singing.... We See (hat) is a fine recording of Monk tunes with a sextet. Quote
StarThrower Posted March 18, 2013 Report Posted March 18, 2013 Yes yes yes on the Soul Note box. The Monk albums are very nice, as are the sets with Waldron but my favorite Lacy material of all is his trio stuff. The Flame and The Window from the box are incredible. Blinks, another top shelf Lacy record on Hat, is in print. Its cut down from the original 2xLP/CD but you can't miss. Speaking of trio material, there's a live trio CD, In Concert, that sounds good. Quote
colinmce Posted March 18, 2013 Report Posted March 18, 2013 Yeah, still need to pick that one up. A second volume, Lost In June, was released last year. Quote
jeffcrom Posted March 18, 2013 Report Posted March 18, 2013 Yeah, still need to pick that one up. A second volume, Lost In June, was released last year. Be warned - great music, bootleg quality recording. It was mastered from a mono audience cassette recording. Quote
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