Format: Vinyl, LP Label: Prestige Records Genre: Jazz / Hard Bop / Early Modern Jazz
Personnel
Steve Lacy – soprano sax
Wynton Kelly – piano
Buell Neidlinger – bass
Dennis Charles – drums
Description
A landmark early Steve Lacy recording and one of the first modern jazz LPs to place the soprano saxophone front and centre. Recorded in 1957 for Prestige, this session captures Lacy before his later avant-garde phase, firmly rooted in hard bop and post-bop language, yet already unmistakable in tone and phrasing.
Backed by a stellar rhythm section led by Wynton Kelly, the album balances swing, lyricism, and forward-looking ideas. Tunes like “Rockin’ in Rhythm” and “Day Dream” show Lacy’s command of the instrument and his ability to make soprano sound warm, direct, and expressive — no small feat at the time.
This title is widely regarded as:
One of Lacy’s most important early recordings
A key Prestige catalogue item
Essential listening for collectors of hard bop and early modern jazz
