Momentum is the first album by Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....

 to be released on the Arista Novus label. It was released in 1987 and features six of Lacy's compositions (although tracks 2 and 3 only appeared on the CD edition) with texts by Giulia Niccolai, Herman Melville

Herman Melville

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....

, and Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin

Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs...

 performed by Lacy, Bobby Few

Bobby Few

Bobby Few is an American jazz pianist.Few was raised in Shaker Heights, a neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and studied classical piano. He knew Albert Ayler as a youth, and the pair studied jazz and played together in high school...

, Steve Potts

Steve Potts (jazz musician)

Steve Potts is an American jazz saxophonist, younger cousin of tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate.Potts studied architecture in Los Angeles and took lessons by Charles Lloyd...

, Jean-Jacques Avenel, Oliver Johnson and Irene Aebi.

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars stating "On Steve Lacy's first album for an American label in over a decade, his sextet is heard on four extensive originals by the great soprano saxophonist. The music is complex yet often melodic and, although Irene Aebi takes typically eccentric vocals on two of the songs, the main reasons to acquire this album are for the thoughtful yet unpredictable solos of Lacy and altoist Steve Potts. ".

Track listing

1. "The Bath" - 13:03
2. "The Gaze" - 11:10
3. "Utah" (text by Giulia Niccolai) - 6:58
4. "Art" (text by Herman Melville
   Herman Melville
   Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
   
   ) - 8:56
5. "Momentum" - 7:58
6. "The Song" (text by Brion Gysin
   Brion Gysin
   Brion Gysin was a painter, writer, sound poet, and performance artist born in Taplow, Buckinghamshire.He is best known for his discovery of the cut-up technique, used by his friend, the novelist William S. Burroughs...
   
   ) - 15:02

All compositions by Steve Lacy except as indicated

• Recorded May 20–22, 1987 at Family Sound, Paris

Personnel

• Steve Lacy
  Steve Lacy
  Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
  
   - soprano saxophone, tambourine
• Bobby Few
  Bobby Few
  Bobby Few is an American jazz pianist.Few was raised in Shaker Heights, a neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, and studied classical piano. He knew Albert Ayler as a youth, and the pair studied jazz and played together in high school...
  
   - piano
• Steve Potts
  Steve Potts (jazz musician)
  Steve Potts is an American jazz saxophonist, younger cousin of tenor saxophonist Buddy Tate.Potts studied architecture in Los Angeles and took lessons by Charles Lloyd...
  
   - alto and soprano saxophones, tambourine
• Jean-Jacques Avenel - bass
• Oliver Johnson - drums
• Irene Aebi - vocals, violin, cello