Insight

Prince Lasha (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 22, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dusty Groove
• ASIN: B002S9DZVM
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,707 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Considering how small Prince Lasha s (pronounced La-shay) catalog is, anything new is an event. Insight was recorded and released by CBS in the U.K. in 1966. It featured the American saxophonist and flutist in the company of great British jazzmen. They include pianists Stan Tracey or Mike Carr (lesser known but equally brilliant), trumpeter Chris Bateson, trombonist John Mumford, drummer Joe Oliver, two pair of bassists playing simultaneously, in Rick Laird (later of Mahavishnu Orchestra fame), and Jeff Clyne, or Dave Willis and Bruce Cale. Finally, the addition of David Snell s harp in a major role adds to the textural and extended harmonic reach of this set. That said, this is not an exploratory outside date, but a straight-ahead session of originals and standards, divided between uptempo numbers and ballads. The set opens with a Lasha original called Nuttin Out Jones, written for drummer Elvin Jones, whom Lasha played with. It s one of the standouts here, with all three frontline horns kicking off a brightly swinging head that s airy, bright, and breezy. The first solo is a tight, hard bop taken by the harp and backed beautifully by the dancing drums of Oliver and Laird s bassline playing pizzicato before Clyne comes in under the radar playing arco. Lasha takes the next solo on his plastic white alto saxophone, bluesing it up and bopping it out. This is followed by the standard Out of Nowhere, that showcases Snell s harp leading a heady groove with a guitarist s nimble facility. His solo is dynamite. The ballad Body & Soul is the first place we hear Lasha s signature wood flute playing, and it s utterly lovely. The lilting, sparse phraseology he uses is deeply emotive and songlike, as is the trumpet solo by Bateson. Side two kicks off with another Lasha original, called Impressions of Eric Dolphy. The intro is slow and graceful, with harp, flute, and trumpet leading the way. Yusef Lateef is credited as co-writer for the intro and the cadenzas. Shortly after this elegant stroll, the tune breaks into a sprint with Lasha s alto solo followed by the other horns; the taut bass section pushes the tempo envelope, and the hard-swinging drumming of Oliver underscores. Two standards close out the set: there's an archetypical reading of Everything Happens to Me, on which Tracey adds his percussive piano touches in an otherwise extremely restrained ballad, and the final cut, Just Friends, sends the set out the way it came in, on a fingerpopping groove with Lasha using an edgier tone on his alto solos -- the only place on the record that even resembles outside. Here again, Tracey is physical in his savvy, swaggering fills and comps. For all its traditionalism, this is indeed a major date for Lasha and reveals how deeply ensconced he was in the bop and swing lineages. Thanks to Dusty Groove, this rare gem has finally been released in North America for the first time in any form. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prince Lasha and harp!, January 21, 2010

By 

Jujumomma (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Insight (Audio CD)

Prince Lasha and harp! How beautiful is that? A true collector's item. Tremendous work from the legendary Prince Lasha -- a rare UK-only date from 1966 -- and one that has the reedman working away from more familiar contemporaries like Sonny Simmons and Eric Dolphy! The approach on this session is very unique -- as Lasha includes harp with the instrumentation, played by David Snell in a style that's right up there with Dorothy Ashby's best jazz work. Pianist Stan Tracey is also on board -- playing beautiful notes that have a sharp modern edge, while still falling on the inside of the spectrum -- and Lasha himself is especially great -- blowing plastic alto sax and wooden flute, both of which have a slightly offbeat sound -- but one that's surprisingly warm, which makes the album one of his most sensitive and soulful sessions ever! The tunes are a mix of standards and originals -- and there's a wonderful sense of balance here -- sounds that are sometimes more inside than other records from Lasha, but which have a really Dolphy-like sense of expression -- right at home amidst a wider history of jazz, yet also reaching for new ideas at the same time. Pure genius throughout, and a record that was never made available to audiences in the US. Titles include "Nuttin Out Jones", "Impressions Of Eric Dolphy", "Out Of Nowhere", "Just Friends", "Body & Soul", and "Everything Happens To Me".