Steve Lacy - Trickles

Steve Lacy has never been an artist who composes for the comfort of the listener. This album presents itself not as a mere stylistic exercise following Stalks (1975), but as the logical culmination of a quartet where every instrument carries its part of the discourse.

Trickles: opening track of the quartet with Beaver Harris

The eponymous track immediately sets the stage: a full quartet featuring Steve Lacy on soprano saxophone, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Kent Carter on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. Right from the first note, the sonic economy is established. The opening piece serves not merely as an introduction but functions like a living score where each group member occupies their place with surgical precision. Beaver Harris's presence as a guest on this track marks the beginning of a series of rhythmic contributions that span the entire 40 min 22 s runtime. The album presents itself as a space of confrontation between the soprano, an instrument naturally high-pitched and penetrating, and the trombone, a low, corporeal voice. If one considers Trickles to be a historic meeting between two figures of avant-garde jazz, then the following tracks confirm this enduring alliance. On I Feel A Draught, Beaver Harris is once again present as a guest, but it is primarily the tension between Roswell Rudd's trombone and Kent Carter's bass that defines the balance of the record. Each track on the album credits Beaver Harris as a guest, reinforcing the idea of active rather than passive participation. The Italian label Black Saint (catalogue BSR 0008) welcomes this collaboration within its first releases, offering a rare platform for musicians whose careers intersect at a pivotal moment in their respective journeys.

The Bite: Beaver Harris's drums as the rhythmic engine

The third track, The Bite, demonstrates how Beaver Harris's drumming dictates the rhythmic tensions of the piece. Every time the soprano saxophonist launches a phrase, it is the percussion that responds with a calculated counterpoint. Kent Carter's bass anchors the ensemble in a continuous pulse, while Roswell Rudd explores both high and low registers without ever breaking the time imposed by Beaver Harris. It is on these five tracks that the entirety of the project is built: each piece is marked by the presence of a guest who is not merely an ornament but an architect of the sonic space.

Papa's Midnite Hop: the full quartet in action

The track Papa's Midnite Hop shows how completely Beaver Harris integrates himself into the group's dynamic. He does nothing more than accompany; he engages in dialogue with Roswell Rudd, responds to Steve Lacy's attacks, and supports Kent Carter without ever suffocating one or the other. This is what makes Trickles an album where the features are not interruptions but natural extensions of the collective composition. The drums become the anchor point around which the entire quartet orbits, transforming each track into a shared exploration.

Robes: the finale by guest Beaver Harris

"Robes," the final track on the album, seals this coherence where every song presents Beaver Harris as a guest. The closing piece does more than conclude; it confirms that the project rests on a permanent presence of all members, without hierarchy or substitution. Steve Lacy signs an album here that positions itself as a manifesto for the quartet: five songs, each marked by the same team, with every guest contributing to the global architecture.

A Review of an Avant-Garde Album

"Trickles" does not impose itself as a reference due to its thematic content or individual performances, but rather through its very conception: a quartet where each member is invested in responsibility for the collective result. The total duration of 40 minutes and 22 seconds is sufficient to contain all the complexity of a project where Steve Lacy revisits the role of leader within an ensemble where everyone counts as much as the others. It is precisely this tension between individuality and cohesion that makes the album interesting, far from formulas of comfort or superfluous arrangements.

Technical Details

- Release: December 0, 1976 - Label: Black Saint - Songs: 5 (40 min 22 s) - Opening / Closing: "Trickles" / "Robes" - Guests: Beaver Harris