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LP
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SOW 049LP
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All of soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy's early recordings are quite fascinating, for during 1957-1964, aspects of his style at times hinted at Dixieland, swing, Monk, and Cecil Taylor, sometimes at the same time. Here, Lacy teams up with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Buell Neidlinger, and drummer Elvin Jones for seven Thelonious Monk compositions. The typical standbys (such as "Round Midnight," "Straight No Chaser," and "Blue Monk") are avoided in favor of more complex works such as "Four in One," "Bye-Ya," and "Skippy"; the sweet ballad "Ask Me Now" is a highpoint.
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LP
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ICTUSRE 007LP
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The final two LPs in the latest Ictus batch, The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (ICTUSRE 008LP), both draw on the same period that the veteran saxophonist produced Clangs and Trio Live, both recorded in 1976 during of two weeks that he was touring Italy with Andrea Centazzo, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively, and reissued in 2021's batch. Gathering four sides of material, issued as two individual LPs, here is an offering of incredible insight into that moment's striking collaborations with Centazzo and the bassist Kent Carter, forming in duo and trio configurations. The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 encounter Steve Lacy -- one of the giants of American free jazz -- already two decades into a career defined by brilliant collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, and Thelonious Monk, among others, as well as a sprawling body of visionary work as a leader. Like so much of his work leading into this period, it draws upon the saxophonist's belief that an artist should play what you feel, a position that Centazzo recalls as having torn down the curtain that separated his technique from his creativity. The first volume of Steve Lacy pieces from the Ictus Archives features five pieces: "Figment", "Coastline", "Swab", "Hooky", and "The Duck", encountering the saxophonist playing solo live renditions of some of his classic pieces from the period ("Coastline" appeared on his seminal FMP LP Stabs / Solo In Berlin) and in two duos with Andrea Centazzo, one of which, "The Duck" was previously issued as a solo piece (also on Stabs / Solo In Berlin) and now emerges in this new form. The recordings featured across the album's two sides were captured on February 18th 1976 in a concert in Udine Italy and have never before been issued in such a focus form. The lyricality of Lacy's playing sets them apart from the more brittle and textural temperance featured throughout much of the label's output. Crucial artifacts of the seminal saxophonist at the height of his career, never before encountered in these full concert formations, and thus pushing the historical importance of the Ictus reissue series to the next level. Cover picture by Roberto Masotti, courtesy of Lelli e Masotti archive.
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LP
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ICTUSRE 008LP
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The final two LPs in the latest Ictus batch, The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (ICTUSRE 008LP), both draw on the same period that the veteran saxophonist produced Clangs and Trio Live, both recorded in 1976 during of two weeks that he was touring Italy with Andrea Centazzo, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively, and reissued in 2021's batch. Gathering four sides of material, issued as two individual LPs, here is an offering of incredible insight into that moment's striking collaborations with Centazzo and the bassist Kent Carter, forming in duo and trio configurations. The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 encounter Steve Lacy -- one of the giants of American free jazz -- already two decades into a career defined by brilliant collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, and Thelonious Monk, among others, as well as a sprawling body of visionary work as a leader. Like so much of his work leading into this period, it draws upon the saxophonist's belief that an artist should play what you feel, a position that Centazzo recalls as having torn down the curtain that separated his technique from his creativity. The lyricality of Lacy's playing sets them apart from the more brittle and textural temperance featured throughout much of the label's output. Three tracks on Vol. 2 -- "Name", "The Way", and "Bone" -- recorded on December 5th, 1976, in Udine Italy -- were two duos with Centazzo, and the trio ("Feline") on the second side, stands distinct, with each player issuing rapid fire interventions within an airy sense of space. Crucial artifacts of the seminal saxophonist at the height of his career, never before encountered in these full concert formations, and thus pushing the historical importance of the Ictus reissue series to the next level. Cover picture by Roberto Masotti, courtesy of Lelli e Masotti archive.
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2CD
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CVSD 045CD
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Corbett Vs. Dempsey present a reissue of Steve Lacy's Stamps, originally released in 1979 as a double-LP on Hat Hut. Stamps was Steve Lacy's first for the legendary Swiss label, and it remains one of the strongest statements of what he termed the "scratchy seventies". With the classic lineup of Lacy's soprano saxophone, Steve Potts on soprano and alto sax, Irene Aebi on cello (and singing on one track), Kent Carter on bass, and Oliver Johnson on drums, the recording catches the band live, performing Lacy's angular, intervallic compositions, using arrangements that leave the rough patina, rather than buffing things to a smooth shine. This is the first time the important music has been reissued on CD, adding a bonus track, all remastered from the original tapes. The double-disc package sports a facsimile reproduction of the gorgeous artwork by Klaus Baumgärtner, with action photographs from the concerts on the interior. A must for Lacy fans and for anyone interested in creative music.
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CD
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ESPDISK 1060CD
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In 1966, the late Steve Lacy visited the new ESP-DISK' office at 156 5th Avenue with a master tape of his concert in Buenos Aires with his quartet, Louis Moholo, Enrico Rava and Johnny Dyani. He offered to sell the master for what I thought was an exorbitant price. I bought it. This LP was released featuring a reproduction of a painting by his friend, the late Bob Thompson, who had died before obtaining recognition. In 1992, the master tape was brought to engineer Ken Robertson at the Sony Studio, who observed that it had been recorded out of phase, and he corrected the phasing. -- Bernard Stollman
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CD
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HAT 546
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Reissue of a long o/p HatHut LP, a historic solo soprano sax album by Steve Lacy, recorded live 6/9/77 at Restaurant Zer Alte Schmitti is Basel, Switzerland. "Only the sixth Hat to be released by the emerging record label in the late 70s, the first half of a live concert in Basel (Joe McPhee waiting in the wings). Steve Lacy investigates life in the interstices of the internal and external worlds, translated through and narrated by a soprano saxophone.
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