June 2007 gig reviews by Chris Parker

Earconnector celebrates Steve Lacy

Thursday 14 June

I see I promised a 'wide-ranging and intriguing night's music' for the Earconnector Celebrates Steve Lacy night and the event more than lived up to its billing.

A duo of Hans Koller (piano) and Paul Clarvis (drums) started proceedings with a couple of relatively straightforward Lacy pieces and concluded with a visit to a pianist/composer much touted by the great soprano man (they played together in a dixieland band), but somewhat neglected by the world at large: Herbie Nichols.

Lacy was apparently irresistibly drawn towards musical eccentricity (he was also a great champion of Thelonious Monk, whose 'We See' later formed part of Liam Noble's performance), and his compositions often combine considerable quirkiness with an almost childlike playfulness, their insistent little themes bringing nursery rhymes or even playground chants to mind.

This quality, especially when (paradoxically) combined with the careful precision necessary to perform the pieces, seldom fails to bring smiles to listeners' faces. Evan Parker's contribution was a 20-minute soprano rendition of a Lacy piece with an improvised heart. Incorporating circular breathing and employing an extraordinary range of textures and timbres so that at times it sounds as if several saxophones are being spontaneously interwoven, Parker's solo performances are utterly distinctive and uniquely compelling, and his introductory story about a tireless Lacy admirer's attempts to spread the word about the great man's music was an added bonus.

Liam Noble and Christine Tobin centred their duo performance on Lacy's setting of Herman Melville's last poem, 'Art', a compelling but unusual melody faithfully reflecting the subtlety and complexity of the American novelist's thought processes beautifully negotiated by the swooningly lovely Tobin voice.

And lastly, Outhouse (Mark Hanslip and Robin Fincker on tenors; bassist Jonny Brierly, drummer Dave Smith) performed more of Lacy's squirly little tunes (although one turned out to be a Hanslip composition very much in Lacy's manner), with a guest vocalist singing the Irìne A¬bi part (a song the lyrics of which were taken verbatim from a tourist brochure a particular highlight). A delightful, good-humoured but respectful and consistently musicianly tribute.

June 2007
gig reviews

Gig reviews archive

Earconnector celebrates Steve Lacy

Thursday 14 June

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June 2007 gig reviews

Gig reviews archive

Earconnector celebrates Steve Lacy

Thursday 14 June

Join the Vortex email list

RSS feeds

June 2007
gig reviews

Join the Vortex
email list