Steve Lacy Biography

Occup.Musician
FromUSA
BornJuly 23, 1934
DiedJune 4, 2004
Aged69 years
Steve Lacy, birthed Steven Norman Lackritz on July 23, 1934, in New York City, was an American jazz saxophonist as well as composer. He was recognized for being a leader in the rebirth of the soprano saxophone as a jazz tool and for his considerable operate in totally free improvisation as well as progressive jazz. Lacy's respected profession extended over five years, throughout which he videotaped more than 100 albums and worked together with various groundbreaking musicians. Lacy died on June 4, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts, after a long battle with liver cancer.

Raised in a Jewish family, Lacy's music trip began at the age of 12 when he began playing the clarinet. He ultimately changed to the treble saxophone, primarily motivated by the music of Sidney Bechet. In 1952, he signed up with pianist Cecil Taylor's band, marking the beginning of his expert job. Having fun with Taylor presented Lacy to the world of progressive jazz and also complimentary improvisation, establishing the phase for his future technologies.

In the late 1950s, Lacy briefly played with the prestigious Thelonious Monk Quartet, where he continued to establish his distinct design. Influenced by Monk's approach to composition and improvisation, Lacy's deal with the quartet garnered significant attention, particularly for his recordings of Monk's songs on the treble saxophone. After leaving the quartet, Lacy created his very own group, The Steve Lacy Sextet, as well as began teaming up with trumpeter Don Cherry as well as saxophonist Archie Shepp.

In 1965, Lacy relocated to Paris, where he came to be a vital figure in the European jazz scene. He developed the Steve Lacy Trio, alongside bassist Johnny Dyani and drummer Louis Moholo, and also later on ended up being involved with the significant British avant-garde cumulative, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble.

Throughout the 1970s as well as 1980s, Lacy increased his compositional scheme, discovering the jobs of European modernist authors such as Igor Stravinsky and also Olivier Messiaen. He also engaged with the writings of Beat poets like Allen Ginsberg as well as Jack Kerouac, including spoken word and also verse right into his performances. In 1985, Lacy developed an enduring partnership with pianist Misha Mengelberg as well as drummer Han Bennink, resulting in the acclaimed triad, Lacy-Mengelberg-Bennink.

In the 1990s, Lacy returned to the United States, where he was selected as a speaker of jazz at the New England Conservatory in Boston. Throughout this moment, he remained to videotape, make up, and also perform internationally. Remarkable cds from this period include "The Cry," which included Lacy's make-ups readied to messages by South African author Breyten Breytenbach, and "Five Facings," a collection of solo treble saxophone performances.

Lacy was identified for his contributions to the world of jazz with countless awards, consisting of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant in 1992 and an honorary doctorate from the New England Conservatory in 2003. His innovative and also introducing method to the soprano saxophone and also his special payments to free improvisation and avant-garde jazz ensure Steve Lacy's withstanding tradition as one of the most influential and innovative artists of his time.

Our collection contains 41 quotes who is written / told by Steve.

Related authors: Olivier Messiaen (Composer), Cecil Taylor (Musician), Breyten Breytenbach (Writer), Allen Ginsberg (Poet), Archie Shepp (Musician), Jack Kerouac (Novelist), Igor Stravinsky (Composer), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Thelonious Monk (Musician)

Discography:

41 Famous quotes by Steve Lacy

Small: When I heard Monk in person in 1955, he was playing with a quartet in a small club. The place was full
"When I heard Monk in person in 1955, he was playing with a quartet in a small club. The place was full of musicians, but there was no public at all"
Small: When I found the music of Monk I finally found music that fit that horn. Every one of his tunes fit it
"When I found the music of Monk I finally found music that fit that horn. Every one of his tunes fit it perfectly"
Small: The more original something is, the more of a threat it seems until the people catch up with it. That h
"The more original something is, the more of a threat it seems until the people catch up with it. That happened with Thelonious Monk. It happened with anybody who is really original"
Small: Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention
"Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention"
Small: Saxophone is one thing, and music is another
"Saxophone is one thing, and music is another"
Small: Ive performed solo for 20 years now, but I dont do much of it, because if you only play alone, you go c
"I've performed solo for 20 years now, but I don't do much of it, because if you only play alone, you go crazy and out of tune and play foolish music"
Small: Ive been working on the soprano saxophone for 40 years, and the possibilities are astounding. Its up to
"I've been working on the soprano saxophone for 40 years, and the possibilities are astounding. It's up to you, the only limit is the imagination"
Small: I think it is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed
"I think it is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed"
Small: Whoever has an original thing to say, it is sort of a threat to the status quo
"Whoever has an original thing to say, it is sort of a threat to the status quo"
Small: Risk is at the heart of jazz. Every note we play is a risk
"Risk is at the heart of jazz. Every note we play is a risk"
Small: Its very important to go through periods where you sound just rotten and you know it, and you have to p
"It's very important to go through periods where you sound just rotten and you know it, and you have to persevere or give up"
Small: Before the work comes to you, you have to invent work
"Before the work comes to you, you have to invent work"
Small: Bamboo is not a weed, its a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant
"Bamboo is not a weed, it's a flowering plant. Bamboo is a magnificent plant"
Small: You must have the music to justify an instruments extensive use
"You must have the music to justify an instrument's extensive use"
Small: What I learned with Cecil Taylor was strategy and survival and how to resist temptations and resist get
"What I learned with Cecil Taylor was strategy and survival and how to resist temptations and resist getting discouraged"
Small: There is an awful lot of what I call recreational jazz going on, where people go out and learn a partic
"There is an awful lot of what I call recreational jazz going on, where people go out and learn a particular language or style and become real sharks on somebody else's language"
Small: People dont want to suffer. They want to sound good immediately, and this is one of the biggest problem
"People don't want to suffer. They want to sound good immediately, and this is one of the biggest problems in the world"
Small: Nobody was playing the soprano saxophone and certainly nobody was trying to do anything with it. So I w
"Nobody was playing the soprano saxophone and certainly nobody was trying to do anything with it. So I was all alone. I didn't know that at first"
Small: Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds
"Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways"
Small: To me, there is spirit in a reed. Its a living thing, a weed, really, and it does contain spirit of a s
"To me, there is spirit in a reed. It's a living thing, a weed, really, and it does contain spirit of a sort. It's really an ancient vibration"
Small: The potential for the saxophone is unlimited
"The potential for the saxophone is unlimited"
Small: Jazz is like wine. When it is new, it is only for the experts, but when it gets older, everybody wants
"Jazz is like wine. When it is new, it is only for the experts, but when it gets older, everybody wants it"
Small: It starts with a single sound. If theres something in that sound, then its worth continuing
"It starts with a single sound. If there's something in that sound, then it's worth continuing"
Small: I fell in love with jazz when I was 12 years old from listening to Duke Ellington and hearing a lot of
"I fell in love with jazz when I was 12 years old from listening to Duke Ellington and hearing a lot of jazz in New York on the radio"
Small: Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with
"Circumstances can be very important. Find the right people to work with"
Small: Register is very important. Music sounds best in a certain register
"Register is very important. Music sounds best in a certain register"
Small: Play difficult and interesting things. If you play boring things, you risk losing your appetite. Saxoph
"Play difficult and interesting things. If you play boring things, you risk losing your appetite. Saxophone can be tedious with too much of the same"
Small: Jazz is peoples music, a collectivity
"Jazz is people's music, a collectivity"
Small: If you listen to Louis Armstrong from 1929, you will never hear anything better than that really, and y
"If you listen to Louis Armstrong from 1929, you will never hear anything better than that really, and you will never hear anything more free than that"
Small: Ive always been extremely lucky in playing with great people who knew much more than I did. Thats how I
"I've always been extremely lucky in playing with great people who knew much more than I did. That's how I got from there to here"
Small: I started in New Orleans music and played all through the history of jazz
"I started in New Orleans music and played all through the history of jazz"
Small: I heard Sidney Bechet play a Duke Ellington piece and fell in love with the soprano saxophone
"I heard Sidney Bechet play a Duke Ellington piece and fell in love with the soprano saxophone"
Small: If youre trying to invent something new, youre going to reach a lot of discouraging points, and most pe
"If you're trying to invent something new, you're going to reach a lot of discouraging points, and most people give up"
Small: If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find where you
"If you have music you want to play that no one asks you to play, you have to go out and find where you can play it. It's called do or die"
Small: I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasnt my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down
"I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down"
Small: You have to sound sad first of all, then maybe later you can sound good
"You have to sound sad first of all, then maybe later you can sound good"
Small: You can work on the saxophone alone, but ultimately you must perform with others
"You can work on the saxophone alone, but ultimately you must perform with others"
Small: When I first started playing music in 1955, there was just a small body of people that knew it. It was
"When I first started playing music in 1955, there was just a small body of people that knew it. It was a very esoteric type of thing"
Small: The soprano has all those other instruments in it. Its got the soprano song voice, flute, violin, clari
"The soprano has all those other instruments in it. It's got the soprano song voice, flute, violin, clarinet, and tenor elements and can even approach the baritone in intensity"
Small: I was spoiled by Monks music because it was so good, so complete
"I was spoiled by Monk's music because it was so good, so complete"
Small: I still love the whole history of jazz. The old things sound better than ever
"I still love the whole history of jazz. The old things sound better than ever"