Oliver Lake

Zaki captures the Oliver Lake Trio live at the 1979 Willisau Jazz Festival. Lake was also performing at the festival as a member of the World Saxophone Quartet and was asked to have his trio, which had been performing together for about three years, participate as well. This trio, sans bass, features Michael Gregory Jackson on electric guitar and Pheeroan Aklaff on drums. Throughout the 78 minutes of spontaneous free jazz, many risks are taken, sometimes rewarding, occasionally repetitious. This is especially the case on the nearly 24-minute "Zaki," which loses the thread about halfway through. Lake triples between alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones.

As evidenced by his work with the renowned World Saxophone Quartet, alto saxman Oliver Lake knows how to create challenging, complex, experimental jazz. Holding Together, released in 1976, provides more of the same, though the proceedings here have a distinct chamber-jazz feel. Characterized by their use of space, subtle instrumental interchange, and lack of steady backbeat (the percussion on the album is remarkably quiet and used to create accents), Lake's compositions have an almost ambient feel at times…

Oliver Lake & Donal Leonellis Fox - Boston Duets (1989) {Music & Arts ‎CD-732 rel 1992}
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© 1989, 1992 Music And Arts Programs Of America, Inc. | ‎CD-732
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Saxophone / Piano

Recorded in 1992 in Massachusetts, this pairing of veteran saxophonist and composer Oliver Lake and composer and pianist Donal Fox, which is completely impromptu, is a work of real pleasure to listen to. What is happening on the bandstand between these two is extemporaneous composition and deep listening, extemporaneous because there is great humor and warmth in the way formal compositions – such as Lake's "Coumous" – are turned around and worked out to suit whatever mood strikes the pair's fancy.

Trio Transition - Trio Transition with special guest Oliver Lake (1988) {DIW Records Japan DIW-829}
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© 1988 DIW Records Japan | DIW-829
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Modern Creative / Saxophone

This session with guest saxophonist Oliver Lake joining the collective Trio Transition – bassist Reggie Workman, pianist Mulgrew Miller, and drummer Frederick Waits – represents a free bop supergroup. Those names promise much, and the recording delivers that and more. This conjoining of talents results in an adventurous, free-swinging session informed by a keen sense of structure. The group's ability to match expansive free blowing with intriguing song forms is most pronounced on the ensemble's version of Stanley Cowell's joyful waltz, "Effie."

Oliver Lake - Prophet (1980) {Black Saint 120044-2 rel 1993}
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© 1980, 1993 Black Saint | 120044-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Saxophone

Following the release of his advanced live trio recording Zaki, alto saxophonist Oliver Lake recorded a relatively straight-ahead date, The Prophet, a tribute to Eric Dolphy. Released on the Black Saint label in 1980, The Prophet combines Lake's (and Dolphy's) ability to blur the line between post-bop and avant-garde jazz on three Dolphy compositions ("Hat and Beard," "Something Sweet, Something Tender," and "Prophet") with three Lake originals. This is not the only tribute to Dolphy that Lake would record; 16 years later he issued Tribute to Dolphy, also on Black Saint, with a different band.

Oliver Lake - Talkin' Stick (1997) {Passin' Thru Records 41213 rel 2000}
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© 1997, 2000 Passin' Thru Records | 41213
Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Neo-Bop / Saxophone

Talkin' Stick puts the versatile Oliver Lake into what could pass for a conventional hard bop quintet. However, with Lake's full-throated alto as the primary voice, there's little that's business-as-usual about this date. The session explores some in-the-pocket grooves mostly by the leader, with a couple felicitous contributions by Julius Hemphill ("Hard Blues") and Curtis Clark ("Only if You Live There"). Clark's piece is a real ear-catcher, with a playful, toy piano-like quality that Lake abstracts and broadens in a typically ferocious solo.

Oliver Lake - Impala (1987) {Gramavision ‎18-8710-2}
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© 1987 Gramavision ‎| 18-8710-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Contemporary Jazz / Saxophone

The follow-up to Oliver Lake's successful Gallery is almost up to the same high level. Joined by pianist Geri Allen, bassist Santi Debriano and drummer Pheeroah akLaff ("Lef' Sided" adds both Gene Lake and Brandon Ross on drums), Lake performs six diverse originals which could be considered to be free bop. One can hear the connection between this music and straight-ahead jazz, but Lake's free flights are quite unpredictable, if ultimately logical. Stimulating music.