Mal Waldron / Steve Lacy - The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Live)

Styles: Piano And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2024
Time: 98:41
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Size: 91,0 MB
Art: Front

(17:14) 1. What It Is (Live)
( 6:04) 2. Epistrophy (Live)
(12:18) 3. Longing (Live)
(12:53) 4. Monk's Dream (Live)
(24:51) 5. Variation Of III (Live)
(25:18) 6. Medley: Snake Out / Variations On A Theme by Cecil Taylor (Live)

Producer/jazz detective Zev Feldman is still at it, ferreting out unreleased recordings from jazz giants of the past and releasing them with buffed-up sound quality and first-rate packaging. Long lost recordings from pianists Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum and Ahmad Jamal have seen the light of the twenty-first century, thanks to Feldman, as has newly discovered music from trumpeter Chet Baker. Now it is pianist Mal Waldron (1925 -2002) and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy's (1934 -2004) turn, with The Mighty Warriors. The two-disc set comes from a 1995 concert at De Singel Arts Center in Antwerp, Belgium.

Both Waldron and Lacy expatriated from the United States. Waldron made the move to Europe in the mid-1960s. Lacy moved to Paris in 1970. The pair worked together and recorded together often. Waldron has the distinction of participating as the leader on the first ECM Records release, Free At Last (1970).

Waldron and Lacy are often considered free-jazz guys. There may be some truth in this, but both were melodists of the first order; their music together and apart was approachable and adventurous. Waldron, like Monk and Andrew Hill and Bud Powell, was a stylist who sounded unlike anyone else. John Coltrane gets a lot of credit for popularizing the soprano sax, but Lacy was there before him on this, releasing three albums before Coltrane came out with the groundbreaking My Favorite Things (Atlantic Records, 1961).

The Mighty Warriors is Waldron and Lacy in a quartet setting, joined by drummer Andrew Cyrille and bassist Reggie Workman. The players sound loose, "going for it." The first disc is relatively concise, with four tunes, each running between six and seventeen minutes. The opener, "What It Is," comes from Waldron's pen. It is a rambling seventeen minutes. Waldron lays down a mesmerizing rhythm; Lacy his sound dry and robust searches. Cyrille and Waldron lay down a controlled stumbling bustle of a backdrop. Lacy wrote the twelve-minute "Longing." His horn complains about his unfulfilled desire, then shifts into the prettiest of reveries. Tracks 2 and 4 are Monk originals, "Epistrophy" and "Monk Dream" lift the music away from a brooding atmosphere, adding a welcome touch of familiarity and playfulness to the set.

Disc 2 of The Mighty Warriors moves closer to free jazz, with two extended cuts, "Variation of III" and "Medley: Snake Out/Variations on a Theme by Cecil Tayor," both clocking in at the twenty-five-minute mark. The latter opens like a full-frontal assault, fierce and percussive. The former sounds like a traveler lost in a foreign land. It opens with Workman's lonely arco bass that leads into a marvelous otherworldly musical hesitation that stops and starts.

Waldron and Lacy did not boast the highest of profiles. Their moves to Europe, away from the bigger record labels, and the New York City clubs, were probably partially responsible for this. Their talent and innovative approach to making music was of the highest order and can be experienced on The Mighty Warriors.By Dan McClenaghan
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-mighty-warriors-mal-waldron-steve-lacy-elemental-music

The Mighty Warriors: Live in Antwerp (Live)

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Steve Lacy - The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1960
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:16
Size: 85,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:27) 1. Louise
(5:34) 2. Introspection
(7:54) 3. Donna Lee
(5:53) 4. Played Twice
(6:40) 5. Air
(5:46) 6. Criss Cross

Some of soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy's most interesting recordings are his earliest ones. After spending periods of time playing with Dixieland groups and then with Cecil Taylor (which was quite a jump), Lacy made several recordings that displayed his love of Thelonious Monk's music plus his varied experiences. On this particular set, Lacy's soprano contrasts well with Charles Davis' baritone (they are backed by bassist John Ore and drummer Roy Haynes) on three of the most difficult Monk tunes ("Introspection," "Played Twice," and "Criss Cross") plus two Cecil Taylor compositions and Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee."~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-straight-horn-of-steve-lacy-mw0000193914

Personnel: Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone; Charles Davis - baritone saxophone; John Ore - bass; Roy Hanes - drums

The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy

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Steve Lacy, Don Cherry - Evidence

Styles: Saxophone And Trumpet Jazz
Year: 1962
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:10
Size: 76,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:45) 1. The Mystery Song
(4:59) 2. Evidence
(6:42) 3. Let's Cool One
(4:28) 4. San Francisco Holiday
(5:48) 5. Something To Live For
(5:26) 6. Who Knows

Digitally remastered two-fer containing two albums from the Jazz great. Contains the complete 1962 album Evidence, which was Lacy's fourth album as a leader. It presents him in a piano less quartet with Don Cherry on trumpet, Carl Brown on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The repertoire consists of four pieces by Thelonious Monk, and two by Duke Ellington. As a bonus, we have added Lacy's complete first LP as a leader, Soprano Sax (1957), which also includes compositions by both Monk and Ellington. Poll Winners. Opiniones editoriales https://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Don-Cherry-STEVE-LACY/dp/B006A9XS04

Personnel: Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy; Trumpet – Don Cherry; Bass – Carl Brown ; Drums– Billy Higgins

Evidence

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Steve Lacy - Only Monk

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:55
Size: 103,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:46) 1. Evidence
(3:31) 2. Humph
(4:41) 3. Eronel
(5:52) 4. Pannonica
(4:26) 5. Little Rootie-Tootie
(5:51) 6. Misterioso
(7:17) 7. Work
(4:20) 8. Light Blue
(5:08) 9. Who Knows?

Steve Lacy has long been one of the foremost interpreters of pianist Thelonious Monk's music. This set is a solo soprano saxophone recital in which Lacy digs into nine of Monk's compositions. Most of the interpretations are quite concise, with all but the seven-minute "Work" clocking in at under six minutes. As usual, Lacy shows great respect for the melodies, and his improvisations are built off of the themes rather than just the chord changes. The sparse setting allows the soprano master to utilize space effectively and to take his time. The overall results, which are certainly for selective tastes, are often fascinating. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/only-monk-mw0000193172

Personnel: Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone

Only Monk

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Steve Lacy Four - Morning Joy

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2014
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:11
Size: 174,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:21)  1. Epistrophy
( 7:42)  2. Prospectus
(16:10)  3. Wickets
(10:24)  4. Morning Joy
( 7:38)  5. Work
(11:41)  6. In Walked Bud
(13:11)  7. As Usual

This limited edition reissue adds one extra track to the original release, a poignant version of Thelonious Monk's "Work." Otherwise, it is the same glorious set of pieces (with remastered sound) performed live in the mid-'80s by one of Steve Lacy's sterling working groups. The quartet is hot, and the two-horn front line is in perfect synchronization. As Lee Jeske enthusiastically notes in his liners, the session "burns," with the extroverted Steve Potts easily distinguishable from his more exacting, precision-oriented alter ego. The choice of tunes is fairly typical for Lacy a few Monk compositions mixed with Lacy originals. Lacy is well-known for his interpretations of Monk, and it is not hard to hear why. He plays each piece deliberately, broadening its scope and infusing it with new meaning. There are near-perfect versions of several tunes, including the rousing Lacy original, "Prospectus." This recording may be a good antidote for those who think of Lacy's music as too reserved or intellectual: It swings with visceral energy. The selection of notes seems virtually perfect, too, and Oliver Johnson and Jean-Jacques Avenal, while overshadowed by the horns, are wonderful in support. Morning Joy may not break any new ground, but it should provide considerable listening pleasure, both for those already familiar with the miraculous world of Steve Lacy and for those who are entering it for the first time. ~ Steve Loewy https://www.allmusic.com/album/morning-joy-live-at-sunset-paris-mw0000571819

Personnel: Steve Lacy – soprano saxophone; Steve Potts – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Jean-Jacques Avenel – bass; Oliver Johnson - drums

Morning Joy

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Gil Evans - Paris Blues

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:55
Size: 137,6 MB
Art: Front

( 7:11)  1. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
( 5:23)  2. Paris Blues
( 9:11)  3. Esteem
(14:38)  4. Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk
( 8:47)  5. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
( 5:47)  6. Jelly Roll
( 8:55)  7. Esteem

Recorded just three months before arranger/pianist Gil Evans's death, this duet album teams Evans with the great soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy. In truth, Evans's playing here is generally little more than melody statements and comping behind Lacy and, although the soprano is in top form, little of significance occurs. The duo performs lengthy versions of three Charles Mingus tunes, Duke Ellington's "Paris Blues" and Lacy's "Esteem." Evans was never a masterful keyboardist and clearly was not in Lacy's league as a player, so this CD is of greater interest from a historical standpoint than musical. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/paris-blues-mw0000195937

Personnel:  Gil Evans - piano, electric piano; Steve Lacy - soprano saxophone

Paris Blues

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Steve Lacy - Steve Lacy Plays Monk

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1969
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 36:16
Size: 83,2 MB
Art: Front

(7:11)  1. Thelonious
(4:22)  2. Ruby My Dear
(5:56)  3. Light Blue
(2:13)  4. Epistrophy
(6:46)  5. Epistrophy (Part 2)
(3:56)  6. Mysterioso
(5:49)  7. Friday the Thirteenth

This reissue of a 1969 French date makes its very first appearance on CD and its debut as a U.S. release some 25 years after its original issue on the BYG label as Epistrophy. Plays Monk is also the first record Lacy made after taking up residence in Paris. His band for the outing features the legendary Italian drummer Aldo Romano, the pianist Michel Graillier, and bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark. There are five unusually complex Monk tunes here "Thelonious," "Ruby My Dear," "Light Blue," "Mysterioso," and "Friday the Thirteenth" and two versions of "Epistrophy." This is easily Lacy's "straightest" album from the period, and he stays melodically and harmonically close to Monk's original compositions in the heads before taking off somewhere else in the solos. But Lacy keeps to the notion of repetition, syncopation, and melodic invention that Monk did, and the band is nearly symbiotic in its communication around and with him. The music here is a delight and a revelation all at the same time. The sound is warm and full and the transfer is solid. ~ Thom Jurek https://www.allmusic.com/album/plays-monk-mw0000325440

Personnel:   Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy;  Bass – Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark; Drums – Aldo Romano;  Piano – Michel Graillier

Steve Lacy Plays Monk

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Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd & Cecil Taylor - At Newport

Styles: Trumpet, Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1957
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:49
Size: 113,7 MB
Art: Front

( 7:13)  1. Johnny Come Lately
( 7:40)  2. Nona's Blues
(10:26)  3. Tune 2
( 8:32)  4. Splittin'
( 7:21)  5. Batland
( 7:34)  6. Love For Sale

At first combining a set by Cecil Taylor with another by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory seems like an odd pairing, but it ends up working rather well. These live recordings, which come from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, have stood the test of time rather well. Taylor's style of piano playing is not that far removed from Thelonious Monk in his interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately," though his dissonant, angular approach is a bit busier; Steve Lacy's nasal-toned soprano sax and solid rhythmic support from bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Denis Charles fuel Taylor's fiery playing. Both Taylor's "Nona's Blues" and "Tune 2" are fairly accessible in comparison to his works in the decade which followed. The Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Osie Johnson is firmly rooted in hard bop. Oddly enough, none of the three pieces were written by either Gryce or Byrd, though they were both already budding composers at this point in their respective careers. But their brief program -- which includes Ray Bryant's "Splittin' (Ray's Way)," the blues "Batland," and a rousing rendition of "Love for Sale" is a good representation of this unfortunately short-lived and under-recorded group. Reissued as a part of Verve's limited-edition series in the summer of 2002, this valuable CD will be available until the summer of 2005. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/at-newport-mw0000222261

Personnel: Donald Byrd (trumpet); Gigi Gryce (alto saxophone); Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone); Hank Jones , Cecil Taylor (piano); Osie Johnson (drums).

At Newport

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Steve Lacy - Soprano Sax

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:38
Size: 77.0 MB
Styles: Bop, Saxophone jazz
Year: 1958/1995
Art: Front

[4:24] 1. Day Dream
[6:45] 2. Alone Together
[5:24] 3. Work
[4:06] 4. Rockin' In Rhythm
[4:32] 5. Little Girl Your Daddy Is Calling You
[8:25] 6. Easy To Love

Bass – Buell Neidlinger; Drums – Dennis Charles; Piano – Wynton Kelly; Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy. Recorded in Hackensack, NJ; November 1, 1957.

This was the first of three recordings soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy made for Prestige and this 11/1/57 session was his first as a leader...There was a controlled tension to this date, like everybody's trying to play, carefully, to a common goal. It's almost as if someone were present to make sure everybody stayed within obvious perimeters. ~Bob Rusch

Soprano Sax

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Steve Lacy - Soprano Sax & Reflections

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 70:00
Size: 160,8 MB
Art: Front

(4:22)  1. Day Dream
(6:44)  2. Alone Together
(5:23)  3. Work
(4:05)  4. Rockin’ In Rhythm
(8:23)  5. Easy To Love
(4:31)  6. Little Girl, Your Daddy Is Calling You
(5:14)  7. Hornin’ In
(4:19)  8. Skippy
(4:06)  9. Reflections
(6:05) 10. Four In One
(4:38) 11. Bye-ya
(4:53) 12. Ask Me Now
(7:13) 13. Let’s Call This

The initial impact of hearing modern blowing on a soprano sax was somewhat like that of discovering an unfamiliar instrument in contemporary jazz. With Steve Lacy, the Bechet vibrato was smoothed to a sound more in keeping with the new trends in jazz. It was his own conception. He stood alone as a developing voice on a somewhat limited instrument.

On these early quartet recordings, he is backed by two first-rate rhythm sections, featuring the great Wynton Kelly on Soprano Sax, and the succinct, punching Mal Waldron on Reflections, an enthusiastic tribute to Thelonious Monk’s compositions. Lacy, who was fascinated by the pianist's music, said, “Monk’s harmony comes from the melody. If you just play from the harmony, you're missing something. Monk has got his own poetry and you’ve got to get the fragrance of it.” These sides showed that, besides Monk, he had also been listening to Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. http://www.freshsoundrecords.com/soprano_sax_&_reflections_2_lp_on_1_cd-cd-5246.html

Featuring: Steve Lacy (ss), Wynton Kelly, Mal Waldron (p), Buell Neidlinger (b), Dennis Charles, Elvin Jones (d)

Soprano Sax & Reflections

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Steve Lacy - Indian Blanket

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2011
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:45
Size: 109,6 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Johnny Came Lately
(3:12)  2. It Could Happen To You
(3:02)  3. Why Don't You Take Up the Piccolo?
(3:29)  4. Gee Baby
(2:38)  5. Out of Nowhere
(3:18)  6. Fidgety Feet
(3:05)  7. My Heart Is a Hobo
(3:51)  8. Indian Blanket
(3:10)  9. Potatoes
(3:00) 10. Some of These Days
(3:10) 11. You Stepped Out of a Dream
(3:18) 12. Rosetta
(2:04) 13. Let's Get Lost
(3:34) 14. Give Me the Simple Life

One of the great soprano saxophonists of all time (ranking up there with Sidney Bechet and John Coltrane), Steve Lacy's career was fascinating to watch develop. He originally doubled on clarinet and soprano (dropping the former by the mid-'50s), inspired by Bechet, and played Dixieland in New York with Rex Stewart, Cecil Scott, Red Allen, and other older musicians during 1952-1955. He debuted on record in a modernized Dixieland format with Dick Sutton in 1954. However, Lacy soon jumped over several styles to play free jazz with Cecil Taylor during 1955-1957. They recorded together and performed at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Lacy recorded with Gil Evans in 1957 (they would work together on an irregular basis into the 1980s), was with Thelonious Monk's quintet in 1960 for four months, and then formed a quartet with Roswell Rudd (1961-1964) that exclusively played Monk's music; only one live set (for Emanen in 1963) resulted from that very interesting group.

Lacy, who is considered the first "modern" musician to specialize on soprano (an instrument that was completely neglected during the bop era), began to turn toward avant-garde jazz in 1965. He had a quartet with Enrico Rava that spent eight months in South America. After a year back in New York, he permanently moved to Europe in 1967 with three years in Italy preceding a move to Paris. Lacy's music evolved from free form to improvising off of his scalar originals. By 1977 he had a regular group with whom he continued to perform throughout his career, featuring Steve Potts on alto and soprano, Lacy's wife, violinist/singer Irene Aebi, bassist Kent Carter (later succeeded by Jean-Jacques Avenel), and drummer Oliver Johnson; pianist Bobby Few joined the group in the 1980s. Lacy, who also worked on special projects with Gil Evans, Mal Waldron, and Misha Mengelberg, among others, and in situations ranging from solo soprano concerts, many Monk tributes, big bands, and setting poetry to music, recorded a countless number of sessions for almost as many labels, with Sands appearing on Tzakik in 1998 and Cry on SoulNote in 1999. His early dates (1957-1961) were for Prestige, New Jazz, and Candid and later on he appeared most notably on sessions for Hat Art, Black Saint/Soul Note, and Novus. Lacy, who had been suffering with cancer for several years, passed away in June of 2004. His legacy continues to grow, however, as various live shows from throughout his career are issued. Bio ~ https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/steve-lacy/id53698#fullText

Indian Blanket

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