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** 1/2 Steve Lacy, “Live at Sweet Basil’s,” Novus/RCA. Lacy’s tart, economical soprano sax lines and his blend of European and jazz improvisation are distinctive and usually challenging, but this live set is peculiarly muted. More restrained pieces like “The Bath” and “The Wane” fare best, but surprisingly no one in this veteran unit steps forward to take command. The music’s good--it’s just not as viscerally gripping as the Lacy sextet can be.
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent). A rating of five stars is reserved for classic reissues or retrospectives.
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