Steve Lacy
Avant-garde jazz, Composer
1934 – 2004
Who was Steve Lacy?
Steve Lacy, born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a 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 dabbled in free improvisation, but Lacy's music was typically melodic and tightly-structured. Lacy also became a highly distinctive composer with a signature organic of style, 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 songs 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.
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- Born
- Jul 23, 1934
New York City - Also known as
- Steven Norman Lackritz
- Steven Lackritz
- Spouses
- Irene Aebi
( - 2004/06/04)
- Irene Aebi
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
- Education
- Manhattan School of Music
(1954 - )
- Manhattan School of Music
- Lived in
- Boston
(2002 - 2004/06/04)
- Boston
- Died
- Jun 4, 2004
Boston
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
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"Steve Lacy." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/steve_lacy>.
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