In the early '60s, flutist
Prince Lasha's work with alto saxophonist
Sonny Simmons was often compared to the trailblazing free jazz that
Ornette Coleman was exploring at the time. To be sure,
Coleman was a major inspiration to both of them. And yet, The Cry! demonstrates that
Lasha's work with
Simmons had an avant-garde energy of its own.
Coleman is a strong influence on this 1962 session -- which
Lasha co-led with
Simmons -- but The Cry! isn't an outright imitation of
Coleman's work any more than
Phil Woods' recordings are outright imitations of
Charlie Parker's. For one thing, The Cry! is slightly more accessible than the albums that
Coleman recorded for Atlantic in the early '60s. Free jazz performances like "Bojangles," "A.Y.," and the rhythmic "Congo Call" are abstract, cerebral, and left-of-center, but they're still a bit more accessible than
Coleman's harmolodic experimentation. The same thing goes for the Latin-influenced "Juanita" and the bluesy "Red's Mood," which is
Coleman-minded but also has a strong
Charlie Parker influence -- in fact, the tune successfully bridges the gap between Bird and
Coleman and shows listeners what those altoists had in common. It should be noted that, even though The Cry! (which employs
Gary Peacock or
Mark Proctor on acoustic bass and
Gene Stone on drums) is free jazz, it isn't the blistering, ferocious stuff that
Albert Ayler,
Cecil Taylor, and late-period
John Coltrane were known for in the 1960s. This album is quirky and dissonant, but it isn't harsh or confrontational. In avant-garde circles, The Cry! went down in history as one of
Lasha's finest accomplishments -- and deservedly so.