Vespers

For this unusual set, soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy's sextet (with Steve Potts on alto and soprano, pianist Bobby Few, bassist Jean Jacques Avenel, drummer John Betsch, and vocalist Irene Aebi) is joined by the great tenor Ricky Ford (heard throughout in exciting form) and Tom Varner on French horn. The Lacy originals, which often feature Aebi singing poems, include tributes to Miles Davis, John Carter, Charles Mingus, and Stan Getz, among others. The music, as usual, sounds like nothing played by those performers, but does feature lots of interesting tone colors and harmonies and consistently stimulating solos, particularly from Ford and Potter. Well worth exploring.