01 Feb Unpacking layers of meaning in Steve Lacy’s composition “Existence”
I wrote an essay for a new book on Steve Lacy to be published by French publisher Lenka Lente. -------------------------------- UNPACKING LAYERS OF MEANING IN “EXISTENCE” It was pouring outside, and Steve Lacy stood by the window in his room on the third floor at the New England Conservatory in Boston, staring at the intense rain. It was Fall 2002 and I had a lesson with him. He played raindrop sounds on his horn, carefully articulating and shaping his sound and explaining how he had been studying the sound of rain since the late '60s. He had even written a suite about the weather: the Precipitation Suite. The pitches he played were from the “Rain Scale” and he wanted me to learn the scale. I was a Jazz composition student at the time and asked why he chose these particular pitches. He answered, a bit mysteriously, “because they sound like the rain.” I’m not sure if he had another secret theoretical explanation, but I immediately agreed that this scale resembled the melancholic, droopy feeling of being in a rainstorm. He explained more about the concept of “Rain” – the form, the intro, the conception – and then we played another piece from the Precipitation Suite, “Cloudy,” a series of 12-tone rows to be played out of time with other players, creating moving clouds. I had known Lacy’s playing since the early '80s, first with the Instant Composers Pool’s Herbie Nichols Project and later through records and concerts with his own groups. Then I got ahold of Findings, Steve’s sought-after book on his experience with the soprano saxophone. His philosophy and approach to music resonated with me, as did his overtone exercises and etudes. Taking lessons with him was a dream come true. Later, I taught “Rain” to many students in improvisation workshops and led an almost- magical large ensemble performance of the piece at the Follow the Sound Festival in Belgium. Studying the sound of raindrops on each...
