Review: Steve Lacy: Conversations by Jason Weiss

“Another Reason I've read a lot about painters and what-not is because a lotof the writing about Jazz is not good enough," SteveLacy says in Conversations, edited by Jason Weiss. This quote is one of several idealized opinions seen in this collection of thirty plus interviews that the soprano saxophone gave. Lacy is known for his play list of mostly Thelonius Monk tunes, and insisted that he learned from the best.

What should be respected more than his ability to establish the soprano saxophone, is Lacy's determination to explore new domain.his appreciation for ALL culture and knowledge is captured in nearly every interview he gave. "All I can say is that everything is an influence...from the rhythm of children's speech to the patterns of the stars."Lacy was extremely well read and was an avid art fan. He won the "MacArthur "Genius grant; mostly for his recognition and incorporation of such texts as the Tao Te Ching and Samuel Beckett, among others, to his own music. Fans of Lacy will read his conversations hoping to find head way into his thoughts; instead they will realize they will have found a personalized spiritual text, allusions to artists around the world.

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