Steve Lacy may have monopolized the magazine polls over the years, but few would contest Evan Parker’s mutual place amongst soprano nobility. Each man wears his virtuosity prominently like brightly-hued plumage on this 1985 concert meeting, making the pate-slapping moments of stupefaction at their joined ingenuity manifold. What’s even more gratifying and downright entrancing is how each man bends to the others’ ticks and preferences: Parker embracing Lacy’s meticulous melodicism, and Lacy tailoring to Parker’s prevailing tonal latitude. The accords are so amicable that if not for the stereo channel separation, their identities could easily overlap and blur during certain segments. Listeners who off-handedly lodge pejoratives like “aloof’ or “overly-academic” at either player would be wise to spend some time assimilating the warm and inquisitive colloquies of this set. “Full Scale” spools out with a narrative improvisatory logic intact across a full third of an hour, countless expository notes and tones issuing forth from the respective raised fish horns. In the waning minutes it’s Lacy, not Parker, who coarsens his tone with growling trills and stutters prior to a final tandem display of spiraling airborne acrobatics. Everything is accomplished with surprisingly slight reliance on the sort of extended techniques so often used to gauge an arch improviser’s mettle. Parker’s storied circular breathing doesn’t even enter until the final minutes and then only for a brief spate. With “Relations” the pair once again commences chatting in limpid, tonally-forthright language. While the disc omits the solo recitals that preceded the duo portion it does contain three bonus “Nocturnal Chirps” taped after the audience’s exit from the recital hall. Miniatures by comparison to the main pieces, they still offer plenty of gorgeous reciprocity and with a fidelity that feels even more inclusive of the performance space. Another side perk comes with the photos of saxophonists together in the accompanying booklet. Lacy shows himself among the few who can match the stern countenance of Parker when so inclined. And the flying saucer street lamp cover makes me smile too.
Posted by derek on October 23, 2005 6:10 PMNice to see this record brought to our attention again. Lacy's utter originality on the soprano--unmatched by even Parker--has always made his pairings with other musicians interesting: since nobody sounds like him, the result is always a vibrant dialogue. It's always fascinating to see how much (or if) Lacy will bend, or how assertive the other player will be. As Derek points out, this is essentially a meeting of the minds here, and both players seem to relish the opportunity to play. Certainly few soprano players could hold their own with Lacy in a context such as this; I think Parker probably does it as well as anybody (I like him more than Coxhill; Potts on soprano is occasionally surprising). In fact, aside from Bruce Ackley of Rova, who never had the opportunity for such a recording, I'm not sure there really is a soprano player as well-suited to carry on with Lacy. This is indeed a classic.
Bye-ya
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