Straight Horning: Steve Lacy - Hooky

I had a fun at the monthly hang with friends listening to jazz records. This month the focus was vocalist. My selections were "The Things You See in New York City" from Tranceformation's In Concert and "Places" from Fred Farell's Distant Song (and interesting disc on which he sings pieces by David Liebman and Richie Beirach). Others played tracks from the likes of Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lizz Wright, Mark Murphy, Roberta Gambarini, and Bessie Smith. We finished the evening with part of a DVD of Manhattan Transfer that was pretty cringe-worthy. It really isn't my bag so to end the evening the car ride home featured something with a bit more intensity of purpose (I came prepared!). I first heard Steve Lacy's Hooky when my mate Craig lent me his copy. It was right around the time I was getting into Lacy.... almost 20 years ago (ouch!), and that week I gave it plenty of spins. I really dig his tone on this one. Tonight, "No Baby" and the Tao Suite kept me company once again. The CD player in my car is coming to the end of it's life and it wouldn't eject the disc tonight so maybe I'll be hearing a bit more Hooky tomorrow! I've been holding out, but I made need to invest in a bluetooth speaker if the CD player dies on me.

Straight Horning: Some Coltrane

I can't say I'm a huge fan of John Coltrane, but I try to revisit his work occasionally. Over the last few years usually this has been in the form of his soprano playing. Over the past couple of months I've been listening to two of his early works featuring the straight horn from 1960 - The Avant-Garde (with Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Percy Heath and Ed Blackwell) and My Favorite Things (with McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis and Elvin Jones).

I've always been a little curious about The Avant-Garde. Initially it was because he explores some works by Ornette Coleman (whom I was listening to a lot when I came across this album) plus it's Coltrane's first studio recording on soprano. Coltrane is still finding his feet on soprano and that alone makes it worth checking out. I'm not sure if it's the recording, the remastering, or maybe Coltrane himself but I find his tone on his horn (particularly soprano) to be very mid and treble-ly - like the bottoms have been mixed out. And while he never had what I consider a dark sound, the lack of bottom end is very apparent on this recording. Different band, different tunes, soprano debut - it doesn't feel like a fully realized album and maybe I can see why Atlantic sat on it for a few years before releasing it in the mid 60s. I wouldn't consider this essential Coltrane, but I do find it a very interesting album and it's a shame he didn't explore this direction a little further (I'm a fan of Ornette and his band members so it's hardly surprising I feel that way).

My Favorite Things was probably the 3rd or 4th Coltrane album I heard - after Blue Train and Giant Steps.... then it was either My Favorite Things or A Love Supreme (but I think it was the former). I have friends for which My Favorite Things was the album that got them into jazz in a serious way. It never made a big impression on me and as a result I hadn't given My Favorite Things a listen in quite some time. In fact, I can only remember listening to it once since I took up the soprano sax in ernest back in 2010 so I decided to give it a whirl again. The contrast between his tenor and soprano make for interesting listening (recorded 3-4 months following The Avant-Garde he is still finding his way on the soprano) and I had forgotten how subdued the band sounds on the title track. And although the album has probably had a dozen spins over the past six weeks or so, I can't say it has grown on me and I have to admit My Favorite Things still tends to leave me a little flat.

Next up on my Coltrane soprano listening list are the half a dozen or so tracks featuring soprano on the 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. I'm always open to suggestions, so let me know your favorite recordings of Coltrane on soprano and I'll try to get around to listening to them!

Straight Horning: Early Americans - Jane Ira Bloom

Jane Ira Bloom: Early Americans (Outline)
Bloom (soprano sax) Mark Helias (b) Bobby Previte (d)

This weekend's listening has featured the latest release from Jane Ira Bloom. Fans of trio (s/b/d) and the soprano saxophone are well advised to check it out.

On my first listen through a couple of things popped into my mind. "Song Patrol" had me thinking of the Bernie McGann trio and during the solo sax track "Nearly (for Kenny Wheeler)" I was reminded of David Liebman's "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner." I've played the album a number of times since then and those associations have faded. Bloom is distinctly her own saxophonist and even though I only have heard a smattering of her work (Wing Walker being the only other album and once live in NYC.... she's underrepresented in collection of soprano players) - her playing still is very identifiable. While her tone may seem outwardly more conventional than some other soprano specialists, it has a depth that reflects the decades spent on the straight horn - lots of core warmth and expression plus the control of someone who really knows her horn. And for whatever reason, my ear has been drawn to her vibrato and her subtle dynamic inflections. When she elects to use the electronics, it is done so sparingly and is well integrated into her overall sound and approach (rather than being tacked on for the sake of am effect). Another thing I enjoy about her playing is that streams of 8th notes are not inevitable or used as a fall back. The phrases breathe, and overall it's a melodic, and sometimes quite vocal, approach to her line construction (with a strong rhythmic underpinning). In the saxophone world this is can be a rare quality and it needs to be celebrated more.

Although this is their first trio album together, these three have played together for some time, resulting in a tight knit ensemble sound (Bloom and Previte have recorded together for about two decades, and Helias appears on 3 of her last 4 albums). The album clocks in at 52 minutes with no track reaching the 6 minute mark. While I have nothing against more extended pieces, it can be refreshing to hear a varied, yet concise and well balanced album. Early Americans fits that bill.

Straight Horning: Only Monk - More Monk

Over the last few weeks a couple of Soul Note releases from Steve Lacy - Only Monk and More Monk (from 1985 & 1989 respectively) - have been getting plenty of airtime around the apartment. I've been working on a few of Monk's melodies and aside of Thelonious' recordings (including Brilliant Corners, Monk Alone, Monk's Dream, and selected Blue Note tracks) my next point of call were these two solo albums from Lacy (followed by a few others such as We See and Reflections).

Anyone interested in Monk's music needs to check out Lacy's truly personal approach to this music. For me, Lacy boils things down to the essentials. Not that his playing is minimalist, but there is a stripped-back quality to Lacy's music that appeals to me. Notes never go to waste as he dives deep into the tune. He never seems in a hurry and the improvisations unfold in surprising ways, yet naturally - not forced. For those not familiar with his own compositions, this may be more evident when he plays Monk tunes (perhaps even more so on these solo recordings).

It's hard to play favourites with these two equally solid albums. If you can only go for one, just pick the album with the tunes you prefer.

I would love to hear Eronel from 1979, which I think is Lacy's first solo album to feature an all-Monk playlist. My fingers are crossed for a re-issue to appear.

Straight Horning: Steve Lacy - Sands

Steve Lacy – Sands (Tzadik)

Unaccompanied recordings (this one is from 1998) are a great way to delve into a players sound. Lacy’s tone is complex, rich and full of overtones shaded with varied articulations, vibrato, a growl or two and subtle dynamic shifts. There is a reedy buzz surrounding the note with the breath becoming prominent at times along with the occasional touch of saliva. Nothing is fixed which, in my opinion, is the mark of a great improviser - repeated notes change in colour with every attack, vibrato ebbs and flows etc. On Sands his low register struck me in particular – “fat” doesn’t do it justice. Detail in his tone exists at all dynamic levels, albeit different details (his pianissimo playing great and an area I wish to explore further in my own playing).

The album has one non-solo track – a duo with vocalist Irene Aebi. The two create a remarkable blend (no doubt helped by decades of playing together).

Straight Horning: Lucky & Zoot

It’s been fun having a re-listen to a couple of albums from players better known for their tenor playing. If you are into the soprano both of these albums are worth a listen.

Lucky Thompson - Lucky Strikes (Prestige, 1964)

My friend Nick emailed me about this album (he has just discovered it) – I hadn’t listened to it for a couple of years and I’d forgotten how sweet Lucky’s soprano tone can be – focused but without too much brightness and with a lightness/fleetness I find attractive and it has made me want to check out more of his soprano work.

Thompson alternates between tenor and soprano sax (4 tunes on each) and the rhythm cooks throughout - as you would expect from Hank Jones (piano) Richard Davis (bass) and Connie Kay (drums). The soprano tunes are: “In A Sentimental Mood” (great ballad sound) and Thomposon’s “Mid-Nite Oil,” “Mumble Neua” and “Prey-Loot.” The stereo separation is pretty heavy with the sax panned well to the left channel – not necessarily a bad if you want to isolate the sax or rhythm section (another good one for this is the album Motion by Lee Konitz).

Don’t discount his tenor playing either. I feel Lucky is a somewhat overlooked/forgotten player.

Zoot Sims - Soprano Sax (Pablo, 1976)

There are a few albums from the 70s where Zoot plays soprano on the occasional track or two. Here he’s on soprano throughout along with Ray Bryant (piano) George Mraz (bass) and Grady Tate (drums) in support.

There is an effortlessness and exuberance to Zoot’s playing that I dig – it sounds like he is having fun. The fuzzy tone transfers from his tenor but takes on a bit more edge on the small horn (which is more pronounced when he pushes the volume). He’s melodic and swinging (as always) playing standards and a couple of blues. This time around the ballads “Moonlight In Vermont” and “Ghost Of A Chance” stood out to me – lovely playing.

The bass is a bit rubber band sounding and for my tastes (more noticeable during the solos) and the bowed solo on "Baubles Bangles & Beads" could have been shelved.

Be sure to check out Zoot on alto – very nice too.

Straight Horning: Time Lapse/Follies/Chirps

Evan Parker Time Lapse (Tzadik)

Recorded in various sessions between 1996 and 2001 this solo album mixes up solo pieces with overdubbed solo works. Parker sticks to soprano throughout (aside from “Organ Point” where he plays organ in addition to soprano). Check out the strong melodies he blows over the hypnotic backing on “Ak-Kor-Deer” (great, clean tone here too). “Pulse and the Circulation of the Blood” features more hypnotic soprano’s circling around each other. “Chorus After Alaric 1 or 2 for Gavin Byers” has an eerie, lyrical, unrushed quality to it that appeals to me. The three solo pieces are more in line with Parker’s previous solo soprano recordings. The more I listen to Parker the more I dig is sound. When Parker holds notes/plays clean his tone really comes to the fore – something that doesn’t always show through on his solo outings.

Steve Lacy Quintet Follies (FMP)

Steve Potts (alto sax) Irene Aebi (cello) Kent Carter (b) Oliver Johnson (d) I picked this up from the Destination Out store. It’s pretty raw live recording (Berlin 1977) and that rawness matches the intensity of the music. It’s an intense album and recommended for those looking for some full-throttle Lacy (check out his burning solos on “The Crust” or the title track. The band is breathing fire with the two saxophones blowing on top. Aebi’s cello adds to the vibe, it has a dark mysterious quality to it – this album would sound very different without it (or if it had been replaced with, say, piano). Potts has a distinctive voice on alto for which I feel he gets very little acknowledgement. Lacy really took the horn places… not just soprano, but the saxophone in general and the music too.

Steve Lacy & Evan Parker Chirps (FMP)

Another disc I picked up at the Destination Out store. The first three tracks are from a Berlin concert in 1985 and the remaining three tracks were recorded at the same venue following the concert. The two soprano masters are well attuned to one another and have a great blend (tone/sounds and musically). It’s nice to hear the Lacy influence on Parker’s playing. He plays differently here - I was (pleasantly) surprised to hear just how much Parker moved towards Lacy during this disc. This is a very listenable set and one that I’m sure to return to again and again. Soprano players put this on your required listening, and anyone interested in duo performances will take plenty away from this album. It’s a very nice sounding recording too.