Steve Lacy Trio - Bye-Ya (1996)

"For me, the trio format is a classic one, an opportunity to enjoy, and a challenge to take it further. We three have played a lot together and the studio was excellent. The overall theme is "parting", perhaps because I've lost quite a few friends in the last few years, but also because I've left Paris for a while, after 25 years.

Three of my musical heroes were saxophonists:

John Gilmore, for whom I wrote The Hoot, was the extraordinary soloist with Sun Ra's band, able to take chances and score melodically, in the most far-out circumstances.
Charlie Rouse inspired Prayer. Playing with him in Monk's band was one of my most cherished experiences.

The Bath is a portrait of Dexter Gordon, with his huge tone and joyous swing.
Absence is dedicated to poet Franco Beltrametti, a dear friend of all of us, departed last summer. Irene sings the words that Tom Raworth wrote in August 1995 at Franco's funeral.
The words of Regret are by Paul Potts:

My dreams

Watching me said

One to the other

This life has let us down

The song is meant for Johnny Dyani, the great bassist from South Africa. We played together in the 60s, another early death. Jean-Jacques Avenel made the piece Pi-Pande in memory of the young guitarrist, Lionel Benhamou, who died not long ago. Longing is a recent song of words by Fernando Pessoa, and Bookioni is something I took from Oliver Johnson. One of the two Monk's tunes, Trinkle Tinkle is saying hello, and Bye-Ya, well, what do you think?"

Steve Lacy

1. The Hoot (Lacy)
2. Bye-Ya (Monk)
3. Longing (Lacy)
4. The Bath (Lacy)
5. Pi-Pande (Avenel)
6. Regret (Lacy/Potts)
7. Prayer (Lacy)
8. Trinkle Tinkle (Monk)
9. Absence (Lacy/Raworth)
10. Bookioni (Lacy)

Steve Lacy: soprano sax
Jean-Jacques Avenel: bass, kora (on #5)
John Betsch: drums
Irene Aebi: vocals (on #6 and #9)

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Steve Lacy - Clinkers (1977)

"If anyone ever wonders what the hoopla was in the 1970s about Steve Lacy's solo performances, he or she needs look no further than this album. While it encompasses less than 45 minutes of recording time, and constitutes just half of a live concert (where is the other half?), Lacy is perfectly splendorous, with solos that rival his best on disc. The saxophonist is alone and his playing is terrific, with each piece a mini-masterpiece. "Trickles" opens the set, contrasting Lacy's excellent version of the same tune elsewhere with trombonist Roswell Rudd. "Duck" is an apt title, with the quacks and squawks reminiscent of the animal. "Micro Worlds" focuses on laser-like streams of sound distorted here, twisted there. The perfect intonation, symmetrical melodies, and warped interpretations lead to altered expectations, as Lacy winds his way across terrain uniquely his own. One of the few instrumentalists who can sustain a solo performance for seemingly indefinite periods, the saxophonist's cool and restrained yet radical style is fully displayed without a moment's lapse." ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide

Steve Lacy - Clinkers (1977) released in 2000 © Hat Hut Records
Edition of 3000 CD's

1. Trickles 10'05''
2. Duck 7'02''
3. Coastline 7'49''
4. Micro Worlds 7'15''
5. Clinkers 11'59''

total time: 44'10''

Recorded live June 9, 1977 by Hanspeter Ehrsam at Restaurant "Zer alte Schmitti", Basel/ Switzerland.

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Steve Lacy - Live at Unity Temple (1998)

"One would think that listening to a soprano sax in a solo context might end up being monotonous, but in the hands of a master, you could rest assured that there would be variety in the tunes and in the nuance, inflection, and ambience within each tune. Also, this type of performance allowed you to ruminate on each note and its placement; in other words, you could really hear what was going on. Many times during a band concert, there are various reasons that you cannot hear exactly what the soloist is playing, making you strain to take in all that should be aurally obvious.

But this concert turned into an opportunity for meditation, something sorely missed in this high-decibel world. It was meditation on some glorious music and, as it turned out, words. Beginning with “Evidence,” Lacy segued into “Ask Me Now,” playing with a slightly Nino-Rota-like phrasing. After a few unidentified compositions, he began to recite a poem on the nature of the music, leading to what I believe was a Rota tune from Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. After a brief intermission, Lacy went over to the piano, raised the lid, and began to experiment with overtones from the strings as he blew the horn straight into the piano. Far from being discordant nonsense, his music achieved some remarkable harmonics. He finished the set with some more original music and then mingled with the crowd as they filed out. The concert demonstrated that you can indeed experience fully such creative music at Unity Temple". Rashaan Clark Morris, Jazz Institute of Chicago Reviews

1. Monk Medley
- Shuffle Boil
- Thelonious
- Evidence
- Pannonica
- Misterioso
- Skippy
2. The Crust
3. Art
4. Revenue
5. Absence
6. Deadline

"You have to sound sad first of all, then maybe later you can sound good". Steve Lacy

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