Steve Lacy
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 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...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth23 July 1934
CountryUnited States of America
When I first started playing music in 1955, there was just a small body of people that knew it. It was a very esoteric type of thing.
I was spoiled by Monk's music because it was so good, so complete.
In composition you have all the time you want to decide what to say in 15 seconds, in improvisation you have 15 seconds.
Jazz is like wine. When it is new it's only for the experts, but when it gets older everybody wants it.
I still love the whole history of Jazz. The old things sound better than ever.
I started in New Orleans music and played all through the history of jazz.
Saxophone is one thing, and music is another.
Risk is at the heart of jazz. Every note we play is a risk.
People don't want to suffer. They want to sound good immediately, and this is one of the biggest problems in the world.
Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention.
They call me before they go into production, when they have a prototype, and they call legitimate saxophonists, too. As opposed to the other kind.
You have to sound sad first of all, then maybe later you can sound good.
The soprano turned out to sound to me like the right hand on the piano.
Jazz is like wine. When it is new, it is only for the experts, but when it gets older, everybody wants it.