Prince Lasha

by Scott YanowA survivor of the 1960s who has not been heard from in some time, Prince Lasha was an inventive avant-garde flutist who occasionally played alto and clarinet. He played in Texas in an early 50s band that also included Ornette Coleman. In 1954, Lasha moved to California, where he was pretty much in obscurity until the 1960s. He recorded two Contemporary albums with Sonny Simmons (1962 and 1967), a 1966 session for British Columbia, and as a sideman with Eric Dolphy and the Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison Sextet (both of the latter in 1963). After a few more records for small labels (the last one around 1983), Lasha disappeared from the jazz scene. Considering the major comeback that Sonny Simmons had in 1994 after a decade of silence, hopefully Prince Lashas story will have the same happy ending.