Prince Lasha Quintet [featuring Sonny Simmons] • The Cry!

 

Review by Alex Henderson
In the early '60s, flutist Prince Lasha's work with alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons was often compared to the trailblazing free jazz that Ornette Coleman was exploring at the time. To be sure, Coleman was a major inspiration to both of them. And yet, The Cry! demonstrates that Lasha's work with Simmons had an avant-garde energy of its own. Coleman is a strong influence on this 1962 session -- which Lasha co-led with Simmons -- but The Cry! isn't an outright imitation of Coleman's work any more than Phil Woods' recordings are outright imitations of Charlie Parker's. For one thing, The Cry! is slightly more accessible than the albums that Coleman recorded for Atlantic in the early '60s. Free jazz performances like "Bojangles," "A.Y.," and the rhythmic "Congo Call" are abstract, cerebral, and left-of-center, but they're still a bit more accessible than Coleman's harmolodic experimentation. The same thing goes for the Latin-influenced "Juanita" and the bluesy "Red's Mood," which is Coleman-minded but also has a strong Charlie Parker influence -- in fact, the tune successfully bridges the gap between Bird and Coleman and shows listeners what those altoists had in common. It should be noted that, even though The Cry! (which employs Gary Peacock or Mark Proctor on acoustic bass and Gene Stone on drums) is free jazz, it isn't the blistering, ferocious stuff that Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor, and late-period John Coltrane were known for in the 1960s. This album is quirky and dissonant, but it isn't harsh or confrontational. In avant-garde circles, The Cry! went down in history as one of Lasha's finest accomplishments -- and deservedly so.


Biography by Scott Yanow
A survivor of the 1960s, 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) and 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. He passed away in 2008.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/prince-lasha-mn0000302974#biography

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Reseña de Alex Henderson
A principios de los 60, el trabajo del flautista Prince Lasha con el saxofonista alto Sonny Simmons a menudo se comparaba con el pionero free jazz que Ornette Coleman estaba explorando en ese momento. Sin duda, Coleman fue una gran inspiración para ambos. ¡Y sin embargo, El Grito! demuestra que el trabajo de Lasha con Simmons tenía una energía vanguardista propia. Coleman es una gran influencia en esta sesión de 1962 which que Lasha codirigió con Simmons but ¡pero El Grito! no es una imitación absoluta del trabajo de Coleman más de lo que las grabaciones de Phil Woods son imitaciones absolutas de las de Charlie Parker. ¡Por un lado, The Cry! es un poco más accesible que los álbumes que Coleman grabó para Atlantic a principios de los 60. Las actuaciones de free jazz como "Bojangles", "A. Y." y la rítmica "Congo Call" son abstractas, cerebrales y centradas a la izquierda, pero siguen siendo un poco más accesibles que la experimentación armolódica de Coleman. Lo mismo ocurre con la "Juanita" de influencia latina y el blues "Red's Mood", que tiene la mentalidad de Coleman pero también tiene una fuerte influencia de Charlie Parker; de hecho,la melodía cierra con éxito la brecha entre Bird y Coleman y muestra a los oyentes lo que esos altoístas tenían en común. Cabe señalar que, a pesar de que El Grito! (que emplea a Gary Peacock o Mark Proctor en el bajo acústico y Gene Stone en la batería) es free jazz, no es el material feroz y abrasador por el que Albert Ayler, Cecil Taylor y John Coltrane de finales de la década de 1960. Este álbum es peculiar y disonante, pero no es áspero ni confrontativo. En los círculos de vanguardia, ¡El Grito! pasó a la historia como uno de los mejores logros de Lasha des y merecidamente.


Biografía de Scott Yanow
Sobreviviente de la década de 1960, Prince Lasha era un inventivo flautista de vanguardia que ocasionalmente tocaba el alto y el clarinete. Tocó en Texas en una banda de principios de los 50 que también incluía a Ornette Coleman. En 1954, Lasha se mudó a California, donde permaneció prácticamente en la oscuridad hasta la década de 1960. Grabó dos álbumes contemporáneos con Sonny Simmons (1962 y 1967) y una sesión de 1966 para Columbia Británica, y como acompañante de Eric Dolphy y el Sexteto de Elvin Jones/Jimmy Garrison (ambos de este último en 1963). Después de algunos discos más para pequeños sellos (el último alrededor de 1983), Lasha desapareció de la escena del jazz. Falleció en 2008.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/prince-lasha-mn0000302974#biography

Tracks:
1 - Congo Call - 5:02
2 - Bojangles - 7:00
3 - Green And Gold - 4:52
4 - Ghost Of The Past - 4:49
5 - Red's Mood - 5:04
6 - Juanita - 5:32
7 - Lost Generation - 5:15
8 - A.Y. - 4:46

Credits:
    Alto Saxophone – Sonny Simmons
    Bass – Gary Peacock, Mark Proctor (2) (tracks: 1, 3 to 6)
    Design – George Kershaw (2)
    Drums – Gene Stone
    Flute – Prince Lasha
    Photography By – Roger Marshutz
    Producer, Liner Notes – Lester Koenig
    Recorded By [Sound By] – Howard Holzer
    Remastered By – Kirk Felton
    Written-By – Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons

Recorded at Contemporary's studio, Los Angeles; November 21, 1962.

Label:    Contemporary Records – S7610
Country:    US
Released:    1963
Genre:    Jazz
Style:    Modal, Post Bop
https://www.discogs.com/release/4474436-Prince-Lasha-Quintet-Featuring-Sonny-Simmons-The-Cry

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