snobb One of the greatest soprano sax avant garde jazz musician Steve Lacy recorded "The Beat Suite" almost at the ned of his long-lasting and extremely prolific career. Fortunately, it is no way master's melancholic look to his past. Oppositely, "Beat Suite" is ambitious project brewing beat poetry with Lacy's improved trio's music.

Beside of Steve regulars acoustic bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel and drummer John Betsch, there are two very important collaborators participated. First is trombonist George Lewis, and the other - operatic voice singer (and Lacy's wife) Irene Aebi. Irene participated previously on some Lacy's recordings and everyone familiar with their tandem knows that her singing is an acquired taste: use of operatic voice in avant-garde jazz compositions are appreciated by ones and hated by others. Anyway, "The Suite..." is mostly based on Aebi's singing so chose properly.

Quite unusually for Lacy's music, each of ten compositions contains lyrics, including such renown material as William Burroughs "Naked Lunch", Kerouac "Wave Lover" or Alien Ginsberg "Song". Irene's singing isn't easy acceptable source of songs' lyrics so it's great that liner notes contain all the texts.

Music is quite different from Lacy's regular as well - more relaxed, with lot of free trombone soloing, it combines more 50s "beat" atmosphere (or even cool jazz) than usual Lacy's late 60s free jazz-influenced works with minimalist early 20th century/ Weimar era influenced operatic songs.

Steve Lacy recorded "The Beat Suite" at his late sixties, just a few years prior to passing away. It's really impressive evidence how creative great sax player stayed till the end of his life.

snobb "Explorations" is an obscure album, credited to Indian sitar player Subroto Roy Chowdhury and soprano sax player Steve Lacy, but actually its Chowdury's trio playing with Lacy as a guest artist.

Subroto Roy Chowdhury made his name in India and Europe during the 70s as a traditional raga player, even if his main scenes in Europe were mostly jazz festivals. Here on this unorthodox recording he shares the leader role with jazz avant-garde rooted sax player Steve Lacy, and surprisingly it works perfectly.

This album was recorded in Tonstudio Bauer (main German studio servicing ECM artists for decades). On "Explorations" three tracks, only Tabla player Shibsankar Ray and Patricia Martin (on Tambura) play on all three. Basically all three of these tracks are ragas, or based very much on ragas, but what differs from track to track is who leads, Lacy on sax or Chowdhury on sitar. On opener "Saxoraga", Lacy takes the lead as the rhythm section builds and provides a rhythmic basis for Lacy's soulful and thoughtful improvisation. Many a 70s musicians dabbling in Indian music from outside the tradition could be accused of 'esoteric noodling', but "Explorations" is absolutely free of that. Lacy is a well-known student of Indian composition and did not enter into this recording session lightly.

On the second composition "Spontaneity", Subroto Roy Chowdhury plays his usual raga music as a trio leader (Lacy does not participate). After the expected quiet opening, this one eventually builds to an intense torrent of rhythms. Some may find this somewhat similar to ragas they have heard by Ravi Shankar or Ali Akbar Khan.

All of side B is filled with a twenty-two minute long composition on which all four musicians play. Subroto Roy Chowdhury and his trio lead, while Lacy's sax adds excellent small ornaments to their music, which as a result sounds more cosmopolitan and modern.

This album has been released on vinyl and CD in 1987 by the tiny German Jazzpoint label, and never re-released after that. "Explorations" is recommended for Lacy fans, as well as for those with interest in Indian ragas. This album can become an excellent discovery, opening a new, unusual side of Lacy and Subroto Roy Chowdhury both.

snobb Some people say Steve Lacy played few same tunes all his life. Speaking formally about compositions, it's difficult do not agree with that,even more - playing few same tunes lot of times he tried to record them again and again,so his really extended discography partially contains of ten or so his own "standards".But - everyone more familiar with Lacy music will agree that one can hardly find on his releases these compositions sounding too similarly. Even on his sax solo recordings (there are quite a lot of such type of releases)same songs usually sound very different.

Here on double vinyl,coming from early 80s (who said 80s were a dark time for adventurous jazz? Lacy simply doesn't care about time's fashion)Lacy plays mostly compositions from his "golden fund", as often. But what an album it is! If for many fans (including myself) Lacy's music usually associates with tuneful but ascetic/minimalist sound,usually played by small band (from solo to duo to trio),here Lacy leads sextet improved with George Lewis on trombone. And from album's music one can easily hear that here plays really small orchestra - sound is full-bodied,richly arranged,with muscular bluesy rhythm section. Interplay between band members are telepathic,they obviously enjoy their playing so all quite a long album sounds as one jazz fiesta (material is recorded live in France and live informal atmosphere adds a lot, on weak side recording's sound quality is only average).

So, Steve and Co. play his "Stamps" and "Wickets" and "The Dump",side-long "Clichés"(with "Cyrille Few and his friend"(?!)on percussion), "The Dump" again, but all same songs sound totally different played by this powerful band (often all this music sounds just like freer and more atonal and distorted. Lacy on soprano and unusual alto together with Lewis's trombone on front of sound demonstrate fantastic playful soloing anchored by more conservative rhythm section. Irene Aebi sings (in her specific classic-influenced manner) on few songs as well.Hour and half of very enthusiastic musicianship doesn't continue too long,one can hardly find even short boring moment here.

Reissued in 1999 on CD,original album lost part of its content (there was not enough place for two wholly filled vinyls on single CD),but generally became a bit more concentrated and better edited.Both versions are excellent place to start for everyone interested in Lacy's bigger bands music.

snobb Steve Lacy is one among a few jazz star saxmen playing exclusively soprano.His name is well known for jazz fans,but quite surprisingly his music is far not so popular as it could be. I expect one of main reasons is he was extremely prolific musician,often using same musical themes again and again,so his recorded legacy is huge and not all of the same high quality. Inexperienced listener sometimes can be mistaken trying to explore Lacy's music from his not the best place.

For very brief orientation, it's important to note that Lacy's early solo works (he played mostly all the time with greatest jazz musicians of the time as Don Cherry,Mal Waldron,Elvin Jones,Roswell Rudd,etc)are all straight-forward jazz of early 60s up to late 1965.Some critics count Lacy's first four albums as his best music ever,and this point of view is not so strange,at least not for the jazz purists.

"Disposability", Lacy's fifth album released in 1966,is his first trio recordings and and his first album containing original material (together with three Monk compositions,one Carla Bley and one Cecil Taylor's).Recorded in Rome right before Christmas,"Disposability" is first Lacy's album where he switched from hard-bop towards much more adventurous and free music. Rhythm section of heavyweight and extremely quirky Italian drummer Aldo Romano and advanced bassist Ken Carter build very unusual frames comparing with Lacy's previous works. Actually there're them two who push his music ahead. Lacy clear and vibrato-less sax soloing doesn't always fits well over sometimes too-heavy often far not all that subtle drummer constructions, but more interesting and important fact is how well Lacy feels in much freer atmosphere.

Far not his most advanced album,"Disposability" is great border-stone evidence,separating straightforward (and really great) early Lacy music from upcoming decades of his free jazz glory.Still quite accessible album is one of good entrances to Lacy music as well - if it sounds too quirky just go to his earlier music,for those attracted with Lacy's adventurous playing there are lot of excellent later works.

snobb Steve Lacy was probably one of the more prolific soprano saxophone player in jazz. Besides duos (usually with pianist Mal Waldron), and larger ensemble recordings, he also left an impressive collection of solo saxophone albums. Quite often solo saxophone works are considered too "out" or non-accessible listening, but in the case of Steve Lacy's music, this is only partial truth.

Lacy released his first solo saxophone album in 1971 ("Lapis"), which contained an eleven-minute three-movement suite, "Three Pieces From Tao", the seven-minute "The Precipitation Suite" and "Lapis". In 1975, he recorded and released in Japan his first live solo saxophone music album, "Live In Mahandra". Later he will return to this solo format many times, partially using his beloved Monk's material for such unusual interpretation.

"Straws" is one of his early saxophone solo works, recorded and released in Italy on the obscure Cramps label (known by their 70s rock music releases). To be fully correct, "Straws" is a semi-solo album - only on a few compositions does Lacy play real solo saxophone (including opener built around a theme from Vincent Youmans' "Get Happy"). The only other pure saxophone solo composition is a dedication to his wife and fellow jazz artist Irene Aebi. Of the four remaining songs, two are soprano - celesta duos, and two more has Lacy playing along with tape recordings. For one composition he uses a tape with a recorded reeds ensemble testing their instruments, for other - recorded construction noises.

Well known by his lyrical sound, even on the most abstract compositions, on "Straws" Lacy demonstrates excellent balance between experimental and traditional, playing innovative but accessible music. There are some more accessible solo saxophone albums in Lacy's discography, (best start for beginners are his Monk interpretations), but for those with taste to unusual beauty and unique experimental atmosphere of the 70s, "Straws" is the album they must hear. Its not an easy to find release, and was re-issued on CD in 1997 in Italy (on Cramps Records), and in 2007 in Japan(on Strange Days Records).