©Ed Michel
©Ed Michel |
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William
B. "Prince" Lasha (or Lawsha) was born September
10, 1929 in Fort Worth, Texas, the hometown of another free jazz pioneer,
Ornette Coleman. Ornette Coleman was born a mere six months
later, and both kids went to school together. They start on saxophone in their
early teens (cca. 1944), in a school band which also produced
great names as Charles Moffett and King Curtis. Lasha comes
from a musical family : his uncle used to be an arranger for Count Basie in
the 40's. His training years are somewhat similar to Sonny's : first forays
into traditional, rural blues; first stints with dance
orchestras, r&b, pop; only he is exposed to Parker
at an earlier stage, and he and Coleman are already learning bop in high school.
They form their first group in 1947. Their repertoire ranges from Louis Jordan
tunes to Monk. They also work with the likes of Harold Land and Red
Connors, the Godfather of modern southwestern saxophonists, who rounds
off their education.
Having gained considerable experience, and a local reputation, he is to leave
for New York, logically (whereas Coleman, oddly enough, joins a minstrel band,
a circuit that will take him from the Mississipi to the West Coast - and legend).
The venture proves to be short, though. He heads back to Texas, aiming at California
where bop is veering to "advanced" directions more
akin to his tastes. On his way to the West Coast he meets Sonny Simmons
in Oakland - the year is 1954. From 1954 to 1960 they work together
on and off. Their musical development, from be-bop to withdrawal of chord changes,
is exemplary of the maturation at stake on the West Coast, which worked as a
research laboratory before those very same players, Coleman, Don Cherry, Simmons,
Lasha, imported the idiom they forged (barely consciously in the beginning)
in New York, joining forces with local, but isolated individuals like Cecil
Taylor for instance, or open-minded hard-boppers dissatisfied with the limitations
of their art, like Dolphy, Coltrane or Rollins. (Yet they didn't necessarily
share the same musical interests : Lasha and Simmons reluctantly stood away
from the most radicals blow-out settings of the era, and rather stuck to traditional
forms, a factor that may explain the frequent rejection of their music at subsequent
stages of their careers. Too traditional for free music, too free for tradition...)
It is significant that the cornerstones of early free jazz were recorded in
Los Angeles in 1958 and 1959 : Ornette's Something Else !!!
and Tomorrow Is The Question. Encouraged by such acceptance,
Lasha and Simmons enlist Lester Koenig's services and record The
Cry ! for Ornette's former label, Contemporary, in 1962.
The record is highly influential and prepares a favorable ground for them on
the East Coast.
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From 1963 to 1965 Prince Lasha settles in New York. Along with Sonny Simmons (and Clifford Jordan on many occasions), he appears on seminal records, his own It Is Revealed, Eric Dolphy's Iron Man and Conversations, Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison's Illumination !, the Bossa Tres' Jazz Tempo, Latin Accents, performs with Sonny Rollins, sits in with John Coltrane... Woody interludes created by Lasha's clarinet or Simmons' English horn, set against a deluge of multiphonics, are the trademark of this memorable front-line. But this partnership breaks up quickly (Simmons returns to the West Coast); Dolphy and Jordan follow Mingus in Europe; Rollins reverts to hard-bop; and Lasha doesn't really hook up with the new generation of freejazzmen that comes in the forefront in 1964, on the verge of the October Revolution in Jazz events and the radicalization of Coltrane's music. In 1965, CBS declines the release of a beautiful session with Herbie Hancock and Cecil McBee (Inside Story, finally released by Enja some ten years later) : Prince Lasha finds no "niche" for his music. Consequently, taking advantage of an engagement with the the Jazz Composers Orchestra in Hamburg, he relocates in Europe. He spends the end of the year 1965 in Kensington, England, teams up with local musicians (notably Stan Tracey), an experience which results in an underrated masterpiece, Insight, the perfect balance between classicism and the recent innovations. Again, not much work is available, and he returns to California in February 1966. right
photo : Prince Lasha during the Insight session |
 ©Crescendo |
In
spite of a brief reconciliation with Sonny Simmons, and renewed
public and critical attention around the release of a second Koenig production,
Firebirds (featuring Simmons, rising stars Bobby
Hutcherson, Buster Williams, and Ornette's famous
drummer, Charles Moffett), the increasingly unfavorable circumstances
on the West Coast won't allow his career to take off again as he expected. Actually,
Firebirds is to be his commercial swan song, and he will never again
secure a contract with a major. Gigs with Joe Henderson and Harold Land keep
his reputation alive. Though never a real working unit, the Firebirds are reunited
for a one-time performance at the 1970 Monterey Jazz Festival,
with the same formidable line-up present on the already three-year old album.
Hadley Caliman replaces Simmons at Berkeley
in May 1971. Now based in Oakland, Lasha will sustain various line-ups until
1975, for occasionnal appearances at the two aforementioned festivals. The May
1974 group with Ron Carter, Hubert Eaves and Kenneth
Nash is immortalized on the record that launches Lasha's (who's name is now
spelled Lawsha) legendary label, Birdseye : Live
at the Berkeley Jazz Festival. In 1976, two more records are released
through this input : both 1970 dates at Monterey and Berkeley, but they are
poorly distributed and, as a consequence, sell poorly. Nothing will be heard
from Lasha on record until 1983. - Nevertheless, these (especially the May '74
date, renamed Search For Tomorrow by Enja who makes it more widely
available in the next decade) and his noted participation to a Michael White
session for Impulse, Land Of Spirit And Light, will access cult status
promptly and the flute-driven music subtly underlined by african percussions
will help define the deep, spiritual jazz sound so popular nowadays.
Meanwhile, he had engaged on teaching and political activities. Allegedly involved
with the Black Panthers, he will be ostracized like many others (starting with
Simmons). He reportedly made a last attempt at touring Europe in the late 70's,
before leaving his professional career aside and making a far more substantial
living as a real estate agent throughout the 80's and the 90's.
However, he kept on playing and composing, and was seen locally in California
and Texas (where trumpetist Dennis Gonzalez produced in 1983
And Now Music on his own Daagnim label, a strong effort
featuring singer Webster Armstrong, and something of a nostalgia
trip, packed with fond recollections of Dolphy, Monk, and achievements of the
past, exemplified by two renditions of "Music Matador"), in 1980
in Italy (Pisa), in 1987 in France (at the Magnetic
Terrace with his son, drummer Prince H. Lawsha), and from 1997
on with Odean Pope's various band, an association that will
lead in 2005 to the release of his first album in 22 years, The
Mystery Of Prince Lasha (thanks to Bob Rush and
CIMP). As of 2005, Prince Lasha is enjoying a welcome ressurrection.
The following sources were used in the making of this biographical note : Okazaki
MASAMICHI, liner-notes for Inside Story, Enja CD 9131-2, 2001, Germany;
Jean-Loup AUVRAY and Christian BETHUNE, article for Dictionnaire du Jazz,
"Bouquins", Robert Laffont publisher, 1988, France; Peter Niklas WILSON,
Ornette Coleman, his life and music, Berkeley Hills Books publisher,
2001, USA; Clifford ALLEN, column for All About Jazz, Dec. 12, 2004, available
at this adress : http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15629.
Discography :
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Prince
Lasha Quintet feat. Sonny Simmons : The Cry ! |
rec.
62.11.21 p. 1963 |
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Prince Lasha : It Is Revealed |
rec.
63.05.?? p. 1963 |
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P. Lasha, C. Jordan, S. Simmons and the Bossa Tres : Jazz Tempo, Latin
Accents (Audio Fidelity AFSD 6111) |
rec.
63.05.?? p. 1965 |
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Eric
Dolphy : Iron Man (Douglas International SD 755) |
rec.
63.07.03 p. 1963 |
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Eric
Dolphy : Conversations (Fred Miles FM-308) |
rec.
63.07.03 p. 1964 |
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Elvin
Jones/Jimmy Garrison Sextet : Illumination ! (Impulse AS-49) |
rec.
63.08.08 p. 1963 |
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Prince
Lasha : Inside Story (CBS unreleased; Enja 3073) |
rec.
65.??.?? p. 1974 |
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The
Jazz Composers Orchestra (NDR radio broadcast) |
rec.
65.10.25 broad. 1965 |
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The
Jazz Composers Orchestra (NDR radio broadcast) |
rec.
65.10.29 broad. 1965 |
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Prince
Lasha Ensemble : Insight (CBS BPG62409) |
rec.
65.12.01 p. 1966 |
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Prince
Lasha and Sonny Simmons : Firebirds (Contemporary 7617) |
rec.
67.09.28-29 p. 1968 |
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Prince
Lawsha & Firebirds : Live At Monterey Jazz Festival Vol.3 (Birdseye series 99001) |
rec.
70.09.20 p. 1976 |
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Prince
Lawsha & Firebirds : Live At Berkeley Jazz Festival Vol.1 (Birdseye series 99001) |
rec.
71.05.?? p. 1976 |
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Michael
White : Land Of Spirit And Light (Impulse AS-9241) |
rec.
73.02.07-08 p. 1973 |
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Prince
Lawsha & Firebirds : Live At Berkeley Jazz Festival Vol.2 (Birdseye series 99001) a.k.a. Search For Tomorrow (Enja 4008) |
rec.
74.05.?? p. 1975 |
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Prince
Lawsha feat. Webster Armstrong : And Now Music |
rec.
83.??.?? p. 1983 |
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Dennis
Gonzalez : Witness (Daagnim 08) |
rec.
83.??.?? p. 1983 |
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Prince
Lawsha & Firebirds (France Culture radio broadcast) |
rec.
87.09.16 broad. 1987 |
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Prince
Lasha & The Odean Pope Trio : The Mystery Of Prince Lasha (CIMP #330) |
rec.
05.04.05 p. 2005 |
Coleman, Captain Hornblower - Many, Many, Many, Many Miles Away - Selmer - Dinka Man Warrior - Eric Dolphy - John The Gospel - Prince Lasha - Book Of John - Divine Message. Prince Lasha : clarinet, flute, alto and soprano sax, piccolo. Odean Pope : tenor sax. Tyrone Brown : bass. Craig McIver : drums. Rec. in NYC, USA. Producer : Bob Rusch. |
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