Steve Lacy
American musician
Died when: 69 years 317 days (838 months)Star Sign: Leo
Steve Lacy (born Steven Norman Lackritz;July 23, 1934 – June 4, 2004) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone.
Coming to prominence in the 1950s as a progressive dixieland musician, Lacy went on to a long and prolific career.
He worked extensively in experimental jazz and to a lesser extent in free improvisation, but Lacy's music was typically melodic and tightly-structured.
Lacy also became a highly distinctive composer, with compositions often built out of little more than a single questioning phrase, repeated several times.
The music of Thelonious Monk became a permanent part of Lacy's repertoire after a stint in the pianist's band, with Monk's works appearing on virtually every Lacy album and concert program;
Lacy often partnered with trombonist Roswell Rudd in exploring Monk's work.Beyond Monk, Lacy performed the work of jazz composers such as Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington and Herbie Nichols; unlike many jazz musicians he rarely played standard popular or show tunes.
