For this unusual set, soprano saxophonist
Steve Lacy's sextet (with Steve Potts on alto and soprano, pianist
Bobby Few, bassist
Jean Jacques Avenel, drummer
John Betsch, and vocalist
Irene Aebi) is joined by the great tenor
Ricky Ford (heard throughout in exciting form) and
Tom Varner on French horn. The
Lacy originals, which often feature
Aebi singing poems, include tributes to
Miles Davis,
John Carter,
Charles Mingus, and
Stan Getz, among others. The music, as usual, sounds like nothing played by those performers, but does feature lots of interesting tone colors and harmonies and consistently stimulating solos, particularly from
Ford and Potter. Well worth exploring. ~ Scott Yanow