The genius of Steve Lacy isn’t that easy to articulate but Phil Sudderberg, Charlie Kirchen and Jason Stein take great care of the soprano saxophone legacy when they play his ‘Clinkers’ solo masterpiece with all the invention and attitude of the original.

One can’t help to think that Steve Lacy would have loved the originality Ben Goldberg and Michael Coleman brought to these personal expressions of his.

Ideal Bread have made a career of lovingly presenting the music of the great Steve Lacy. On their previous records, The Ideal Bread and Transmit, the group trafficked in more or less straight readings of Lacy’s music. You May Also Like: Adam Hopkins’ Crickets, “Grounded” (2023): Something Else! One TrackRead More

Throughout his career Steve Lacy paid tribute to Thelonious Monk, and even dedicated numerous albums to Monk’s music. A lot of great jazz musicians feted Monk and were clearly influenced by the master pianist/composer, too, but perhaps not with the zeal of Lacy. You May Also Like: The Flake [PhilRead More

by Mark Saleski Too bad that the clarinet was the instrument guys were embarrassed to be stuck with in band. You May Also Like: Michael Coleman + Ben Goldberg – Practitioner (2018) Ben Goldberg School – Vol 1: The Humanities (2017)

by S. Victor Aaron Ideal Bread is a Steve Lacy tribute band, at least a tribute band in that they play the songs of the late, great soprano saxophonist and composer of the free jazz world. But this four-piece band, which includes baritone saxophonist Josh Stinton, Lacy’s copyist and studentRead More