EJS I I TOMMY BANKS WAY - Yardbird Suite

IHT STTUT IAGY/R||SWHI RUIIII |IUARIIISteve Lacl is the jaz wo{dl prc-emjnents0prano saxophonisr Thjs js exemptjfied by hnpercnniatfirst ptace position in the soprano saxophonecategory of the Downbeat Internationatcntics Pbtt. He is considered to be the fdther ofthe modem sopnno saxophone and, tor overforty yea6, he has been ore ofthe most disbnctiveand proUficomposeE and conlummate perInitiaLty inspned by the first g€at sopranosaxophonist, sjdney Bechet, Lacy worked for severatyea6 jn the 1950t wjth avant gade pianistcecjt Taytor. His g€atest influenc€ wasThetorious i\4onk - Monk'structure and simpLiatyfalcirated him; the music "fit" him and hishorn. Ne work€d with l4onk for a shod time in1960 and even staited a grcupthat ptayed nothingbut l,1oik. Lacy is abo credited with turningJohn CoLtane or to th€ sopEno laxophone.He also has a tong-standing perfomjng reta"tionshjp with pianist MaL Waldron. His mostrccent major project js ajaz opera entitted "Thecry" which tuatures mlsic, visuals and poetryThroughout ft bdLtiant career, Lacy hasremajned committed to keeping his musjc renHundreds of tive peformances and dozens ofrecodings attest to the depth of his creativity.Eased in Europ€ sjnce the late 60s, Lacy tastperform€d u/ith hjs trio at the Suite jn November1997. Bassist Jean-Jacques AveneL and drumrnerJohn B€tsch retun as the ythm sedion.To make this evening even morc specjal,lombonist Roswetl Rudd joins Steve Lacy tofoBe a dynamjc quart€i that js guaranteed to bea memorabte expenence br €veryore in atten-Atur atmostwenty yea6 out of the pubticeye Rudd returned to the scenein the tate 1990sand perfoflned at the Yadbnd Sujte in February1999 as part of the David Haney Cotlectjve withRob scheps.Ih€ dynamism and sheer exubennc€of his pedonnance $/as tiving testjmony to hisreputation as one of the giants of post-bop trom-Roswett Rudd is a poud part of the taditionthat has given us such jaz tombone g€ats asJack Teasaden, Kjd Oy and J.J. Johnson.However, he has extended the tadition with hisown extm!€rted gut'bucket stytjngs, passjonatetyricism and largerthan tife indivjdualism.He has p€rfomed with Herbie Nichols, ArchieSh€pp and Gnn Bby and also, Like Steve Lac!,wiih Cecil Taytor. 1,5 a csuLt, he js a major influ'ence on a whoLe seneEtion ofjazz trcmbonjsts.In recent yea6, he has recorded a coupte of CDspaSe 4for Cll,4P tuaturing unpubkhed materialof the hjghLy underated pianist HerbjeNichob.Steve Lacy and Roswetl Ruddu,o*ed together in the ea y 19603durjng whjch time they both devotedsignificaft tjme and energy toThetonious l4oiks music, even makinga tonq out'of-pdnt recording.Reunited tast year,they touredtogetherand are reteasinq a disc onV€we/Frarce €ntitled "l40nr5 Dream'. Some ofthat material witt n0 doubt be tuature dLrnnsthejr performance at the sujte.Ihjs is a speciat opportunity to hear iheabsotute mastery and accessibjfity of Steve Lacyand Rosw€tL Rudd in af intinrate ctub setting."The wa6t0H sfEvE ucf,.,lMng ewno pldyer.,,". Ann Aftor NeB"01oll llvlng sdxophonlsa, Lo.y nostpede.dy coptarcs the essence of J.zzas I llnl ets hodzon ,., Purc, stong,frern qnd Dasslonate, hE Instunenulsound is the benchnd* agolnst whkholl young:er soxophonkts neosurc- fhe Georyld Sttdwt"In the hlstoty ol lotz nusk, IEw nusl-.tons how erte.l seh o .lonlianthrce on theh ahosen lnsuunent osSteve Ldcy has on tle sopmno ssxo.- Now lorcnto"SEve Locy ]s the 'ost lnslskttt, orlglnalsopmno somphone tylst of thepost-Bechet efi, ,l/th a dch bulbousaou,tal anal d lentent hamonk lnoglnrtlonthot should glve pouse to thoseIlstene'i veone.l on the wlnry nosoltlylings oJ bddy's sopftno .unu.ht"-l4uslclon l4tgonrc",.. n0tbtly snuui 4 tte eptdto tu,.."-lomnta Storst€ve Lacy - soprano sarophoneRos$ell Rudd - tromboneJean-Jacques Avenel - bassJohn Betsch - drunsON ROSWELL RUDD,,.",.,o tonbonlst ol su'lt sweeplngpowet ond nojesty thot he tmnsaenals- John wlbon, New lo* fines"Rutkl geb non uonbone out of hlsiasuunent thon rny colleogue, post or. Whitte! Bdlfiet, llew Yo*et"nudd is d nasE y sololsL"- Iruck Btket"Rudd ertdctt sounds ,nn the vonbonethot go bock to llew 0 edns andlufther ohead thon snyone hos Ft- Not llentotlMARCH.APRIL 2OOO