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
Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention.
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.
It starts with a single sound. If there's something in that sound, then it's worth continuing.
The potential for the saxophone is unlimited.
You can work on the saxophone alone, but ultimately you must perform with others.
I wanted to be a pianist but it just wasn't my thing. I guess I wanted to stand up rather than sit down.
Kenny G, I have to be grateful to him for proving that the instrument can be played all different kinds of ways.
When I heard Monk in person in 1955, he was playing with a quartet in a small club. The place was full of musicians, but there was no public at all.