You would assume that a
Steve Lacy tribute band would for certain include a soprano sax, but that is not the case with
Ideal Bread. Baritone saxophonist
Josh Sinton and trumpeter
Kirk Knuffke do the honors in a front line that plays
Lacy's pithy, inventive, minimalist-to-stretched progressive jazz proudly. They even make some innovative moves of their own with an instrumentation that emphasizes the bottom and middle timbres of sound, rather than the high end of what
Lacy offered. But remember,
Lacy had worked with his share of deep-hued horns, so
Sinton's baritone works well in this framework, zigging and zagging during the revelation of "Cliches," using repeat minimalist phrases, particularly on "The Breath," or in sly, modal repeats exposing slow layers for "As Usual." There's a blues component here that cannot be denied or ignored, as the horn players smolder and simmer instead of shouting out. Extra credit goes to the support team of drummer
Tomas Fujiwara and bassist Reuben Radding, players who develop their rhythms in such a subtle manner as to melt in the background, yet like shadows, you know they're always present. This second volume of
Lacy's music for
Ideal Bread is easy to enjoy even if you are not necessarily a creative music maven, but it grabs your ears while gently giving them a twist. ~ Michael G. Nastos