Spirit of Mingus

by Ken Dryden Steve Lacy's favorite duo partner, Mal Waldron, isn't present on this CD, which was recorded during a series of live concerts in Paris in 1991, but pianist Eric Watson is a more-than-capable foil for Lacy's adventurous excursions into the works of Charles Mingus. "Peggy's Blue Skylight," which oddly enough also opens Communique (a Lacy-Waldron CD recorded for Soul Note several years after this release), is bursting with energy. "Self Portrait in Three Colors" is a bittersweet ballad with Lacy's melancholy horn being supported by Watson's lush chords, while "Nostalgia in Times Square" (also known as "Strollin'") starts out as a jaunty yet complex blues before evolving into an intricate duo improvisation. Following Lacy's searing solo introduction, "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" represents Mingus at his most playful. "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," one of the composer's most recorded pieces and a brilliant elegy for Lester Young, is simply gorgeous. The very upbeat "Remember Rockefeller at Attica" (written by Mingus after the prison riot which resulted in great loss of life) has an almost mocking quality lampooning the ex-governor's actions. Since CDs on the Free Lance label seem to be getting much harder to locate, fans of Steve Lacy are advised to pick up this outstanding release quickly.