Steve Lacy: Solos Duos Trios - The Complete Recordings on Black Saint & Soul Note

This is a rather fine collection of recordings by the prolific, but hugely underrated soprano sax master Steve Lacy.These six albums remastered from the original Black Saint/Soul Note recordings, come in a hinged-lid cardboard box; each CD is presented in a light card facsimile of the original vinyl album - artwork on the front and sleeve-notes on the back - with no additional information or extra tracks.The two Monk albums should be in every serious modern jazz collection; they are remarkable examples of Lacy`s solo work and of Monk's genius – listening to them is akin to watching a master watchmaker examine a beautifully crafted timepiece, adjusting a spring here, resetting a gear there, not interfering with the action but enhancing, polishing and emphasising the qualities of its precision; Lacy doesn`t impose on Monk but finds facets and aspects within the compositions which he draws out in his own improvisations – breathtaking - and in an entirely solo setting.The two duo albums with Mal Waldron are a examples of a particularly fruitful collaboration, both musicians displaying a remarkable degree of empathy both for each other and the chosen repertoire, even considering the rather austere limitations of the pairing.The two trio albums “The Flame” with Bobby Few on piano and Dennis Charles on drums and “The Window” with Jean-Jaques Arenul on bass and Oliver Johnson on drums are more challenging listens for the uninitiated; “The Flame” provides a fine showcase of Lacy`s wonderfully controlled writing and reasoned improvisation – his two featured solo outings on “Gusts” and “Licks” provide a masterclass in avant garde soprano playing, taking the instrument to its limits and exploring timbre, micro-tones and the complexities of sequenced finger-patterns, bringing out sounds that are almost unique to the qualities of the instrument.“The Window” by comparison is a more flowing and straight-ahead sounding album largely due to the singing bass of Arnul and the subtle percussion of Johnson, but there is plenty of nuanced, and at times ethereal explorations in the leader`s playing, especially on the track “Twilight”. Again, Lacy`s compositions are strikingly original and impressive.I love this CD set, but I'm pre-disposed to liking it as I play soprano sax myself and have listened to Lacy, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill and many others for decades; Lacy perhaps isn't for everyone, his dedicated exploration of the instrument and its/his peculiarities may not connect with all listeners, but if you know Lacy`s genre already or are feeling adventurous, this is a nice little starter collection of work by one of the greats of improvised music.

A superb Steve Lacy collection, focussing on more intimate settings. The Window is possibly my favourite Lacy album... Much as I rate Steve Potts and love albums like Morning Joy and Revenue, here you don't have to wait for Lacy to get his turn to solo, which means he keeps playing within his own rarified bubble. It doesn't swing as hard as those quartet albums but it approaches some kind of ideal in abstract elegance. No matter how far out Lacy goes he's still debonair and poised. The solo Monk discs are great, and the duo albums with Mal Waldron offer an amazing spectrum of melodic permutations.