Return to Emanem home page or
complete numerical CD list
or go to index of musicians
or complete discography
A 1963 gig by the quartet of STEVE LACY (soprano saxophone), ROSWELL RUDD (trombone), DENNIS CHARLES (drums) and, on most of this session, HENRY GRIMES (double bass), playing their original piano-less interpretations of the music of Thelonious Monk. The 1975 release of this material on Emanem 3316 (subsequently reissued on QED, hatART and hatOLOGY) was the first appearance of this important band on record, thanks to the foresight of Vashkar Nandy and Paul Haines who recorded them excellently. This CD presents the music in the order of performance for the first time. Also included are the two extant examples of Lacy with the THELONIOUS MONK QUINTET (with CHARLIE ROUSE, JOHN ORE & ROY HAYNES) made at a 1960 festival in Philadelphia. (The recording of a third piece was truncated before Lacy's solo, so it has been omitted). These were recently issued on RLR with significantly inferior sound, quite a bit of skipping, and the wrong date - all of which have been corrected here. 69 minutes.
Special price 9 Euros
Four sessions of music involving different degrees of free improvisation - all
featuring STEVE LACY and KENT CARTER.
(1) DISPOSABILITY, the 1965 trio record with ALDO ROMANO which features versions
of jazz standards and originals as well as some free improvisation. Originally issued
in 1966 as Vik 200, this is the first reissue without distorted cymbal "tap dancer"
noise.
(2) SORTIE, the 1966 quartet record with ENRICO RAVA added, based on free
improvisation. Originally issued in 1966 as GTA 1002, this is the first complete
reissue, and the first CD reissue with correct track titles.
(3) The previously unissued 1967 "FREE FALL" FILM CUES performed by
a quintet with RAVA, KARL BERGER, & PAUL MOTIAN. Improvisation moulded to fit
with mainly short visual film sequences.
(4) Finally, two previously unissued 1972 quintet pieces with STEVE POTTS (alto
saxophone), IRENE AEBI (cello) and NOEL McGHIE (drums). The best recorded version
of the Lacy original The Rush, and a partially controlled improvisation
called The Thing.
124 minutes.
Special price 13 Euros
Four sessions of music mostly against the Vietnam War - all featuring STEVE LACY and, on some pieces, IRENE AEBI. (1) A previously unissued 1968 presentation of a complex text by Buckminster Fuller intoned by Aebi - a veritable 5-minute tour de force that presages rap. Plus a 7-minute instrumental head arrangement or graphic score by the quintet with ENRICO RAVA, KARL BERGER, KENT CARTER & ALDO ROMANO. (2) Also from 1968, a trio session with RICHARD TEITELBAUM containing two versions of Lacy's first song, 'The Way', and two duo improvisations, which feature some very adventurous playing on saxophone and synthesizer. This was previously only issued in 2000 on the very limited edition Roaratorio LP 01. (3) The same trio performing the previously unissued 'Chinese Food' in 1967, with Aebi reading 2500-year old anti-war texts by Lao Tsu. (4) Finally the powerful 1973 four-part anti-war suite, 'The Woe', with STEVE POTTS, KENT CARTER & OLIVER JOHNSON. This was previously issued on Quark LP 9998 and Emanem CD 4004. 74 minutes.
Special price 9 Euros
Highlights from Lacy's first solo concerts in Avignon 1972 featuring pieces like 'The New Duck', 'The Breath', 'Name' and 'Cloudy' that became frequently played, as well as rarities like 'Stations', 'Josephine', 'Weal' and 'The Wool'. In addition to this material that was originally issued as Emanem LP 301 and reissued on CD 4004, this new compilation also contains four more short rarities from the same concerts: 'Bound', 'The Rush', 'Holding' and 'The Dumps'. Finally there is his performance of his somewhat outrageous 'Clangs' cycle from Berlin in 1974 - the first time a solo version of this has been issued. Previous issues of this suite were by a duo in 1976 and a double sextet in 1992. This solo performance is arguably the definitive version. Like the Avignon music, this suite finds Lacy's unaccompanied work at its most adventurous. 79 minutes.
Special price 9 Euros
More highlights from solo soprano saxophone concerts, starting off with the three short versions of Billy Strayhorn tunes which opened his first solo concert (Avignon 1972). Excellent versions of 'Moms', 'Pops' and 'The Dumps' were performed two years later at the same venue. A 1975 Paris concert resulted in the only known recording of 'Slabs', a second recording of 'The Wool', and definitive performances of 'Torments' and 'The New Duck'. From Edmonton in 1976 comes an unusual performance of 'Coastline', and a fine one of the rarity 'Hooky'. In conclusion, there is a definitive 1977 version of 'Snips' from Köln. 75 minutes - all previously unissued.
Special price 9 Euros
Music for four saxophones (STEVE LACY, EVAN PARKER, STEVE POTTS & TREVOR WATTS) with guitar (DEREK BAILEY) & synthesiser (MICHEL WAISVISZ). Plus highlights from an earlier London concert by LACY, POTTS, BAILEY, KENT CARTER & JOHN STEVENS. Improvisations on original compositions. Reissue of Emanem 3310 (plus an extra piece from the same concert) and the better half of Emanem 304. 77 minutes.
CD deleted
Virtually the whole of the 1976 Montreal solo concert - the best of his first North American solo tour - including the complete Tao cycle and several other pieces. Reissue of half of Quark LP 9998 with over 50 minutes of previously unissued material from the same concert. 78 minutes.
Special price 9 Euros
Previously only available on a very rare 1979 Japanese LP, these two jazz sessions
feature Rudd as a fine composer/arranger and organiser of unlikely-looking line-ups,
as well as an exceptional trombonist. The CD opens with Rudd,
Out of stock
Solo saxophone performances of three of Lacy's rarest cycles. The eight-part SHOTS (Moms / Pops / The Kiss / Tots / The Ladder / Fruits / Coots / The Wire) comes mostly from a 1977 Roman concert, with a couple of missing pieces taken from other contemporaneous performances. The only other complete (duo) release of this cycle was on a (Musica) LP reissued on hatOLOGY. The rest of this 2-CD set comes from a 1980 solo recording session and concert in the lively acoustics of an old church in Porrentruy in Switzerland. Four individual pieces (Follies / Thought / Wickets / Swoops), two of which have not appeared anywhere else, were given excellent readings. The then newly written SANDS trilogy (Stand / Jump / Fall) was given a definitive performance some 18 years before the hitherto lone issued version. Finally the rare HEDGES sequence (Hedges / Squirrel / Fox / Rabbit / Shambles) was performed with a dancer. Of the 148 minutes on these two CDs, only the 37 minute HEDGES has been previously released (on a long out-of-print hat ART LP).
Special price 13 Euros
STEVE LACY (soprano saxophone), IRENE AEBI (voice), GEORGE LEWIS (trombone), JEAN-JACQUES AVENEL (double bass) and JOHN BETSCH (drums). After a long tour of North America, this quintet concluded by playing two concerts in Boston - most of the first one being included here. The material is five of the Beat poems sung by Irene Aebi, plus three instrumentals, including one (Baghdad) that has not been on record before as it had only just been written. After a lot of working together, this group was really both loose and together with everybody playing magnificently. Even Lacy plays superbly, so there is no need to make any allowances for his ill health. In fact, the evening sounds like a very enjoyable occasion, making this CD one of the best of the quintet's latter recordings - an appropriate farewell to a major musician. 79 minutes.
Special price 9 Euros
Return to Emanem home page or
complete CD list
or go to index of musicians
or complete discography