Search - Gil Evans, Steve Lacy :: Paris Blues

Staid Elegance

J. S. Glick | Chicago | 05/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The pairing of these two musicians seems particularly appropriate due to their melodic, lyrical style of improvisation. Steve Lacy is in his usual fine form stretching out and really digging deep into the music while stressing melodic creativity over innovation. Gil Evans provides excellent accompaniment but his reputation as an arranger rather than as an improviser is well-deserved. While he never stumbles over the changes, very little of his solos move beyond the realm of the pretty into the really interesting. On the whole, this is a beautiful disk: nothing new here but wonderfully atmospheric while maintaining an unusual sound due to minimalism of the instrumentation and the musicians' respective styles each of which leaves a plethora of telling silences among carefully chosen notes."

An excellent pairing

JC | MD USA | 08/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A different setting for each of these musicians that moves their talents in somewhat unexpected directions. They weren't striving for the cutting edge but they find a sweet spot."