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Steve Lacy

Jazz

1950s - 2000s

Soprano saxophonist worked in a variety of settings and as a solo improviser, ranges from the traditional to the avant garde.

Biography

Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy exhibited a tremendous stylistic range over the course of his career. He began by playing Dixieland and swing, but then joined the avant garde, appearing with Cecil Taylor’s quartet at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. In addition to his original compositions, Lacy performed the work of Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and, especially, Thelonious Monk (he performed with Monk in the early ‘60s, and released an early album of all-Monk compositions with the pianist Mal Waldron entitled REFLECTIONS). Lacy moved to Europe in 1970 and became a fixture on the European jazz scene, working in a wide variety of settings (including frequent performances as a solo improviser). He was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 1992. Lacy returned to the States in 2002 to teach at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He died of cancer in 2003 at age 69. His large discography includes over 100 albums.

Discography

Influences

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