Windows: The Music of Steve Lacy

Windows: The Music of Steve Lacy

Editorial Reviews
From Jazziz
With more than a dozen recordings released in the U.S. during the past decade, Swedish reed manipulator Mats Gustafsson's reputation on this continent is beginning to contest with his stature overseas, where he is acknowledged as one of the superlative artisans of his craft. Recognized for his work with longstanding ensembles Gush and the AALY Trio (with Ken Vandermark), it is perhaps the solo context that most aptly asserts why his virtuosic technique and singular conception are so revered.

For his third solo outing, Gustafsson pays homage to the equally individual Steve Lacy, tackling three of the soprano giant's compositions (along with two originals and a piece by former Lacy employer Cecil Taylor) with aplomb. It should be noted that Gustafsson does so sans soprano, confining his arsenal to baritone and tenor saxes and his own hybrid fluteophone, a flute employing a saxophone mouthpiece. He approaches this program as a well-paced, rigorous deconstruction to create a gradually unfolding narrative brimming with edgy luminosity.

In Gustafsson's hands, reeds are transformed into versatile sound generators, as he vigilantly sculpts and restlessly adjusts his attack via a malleable tonal palette, supple phrasing, vast timbral range, and startling breath control. Like his other solo efforts, Windows displays Gustafsson's penchant for making the room an integral part of his music, as he vacillates between near silence and intense circular breathing exercises that send the levels into the red.

A resplendent tribute, Windows is also an intimate and at times transcendent affair.

Windows: The Music of Steve Lacy,Mats Gustafsson,Blue Chopsticks,Avant-Garde,Avant-Garde Jazz,Free Improvisation,Free Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

Windows: The Music of Steve Lacy

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