Originally recorded in Paris in 1979, and released on vinyl by the Swiss hat Hut label in 1981, Tips has been out of circulation for a considerable time, so it is a great pleasure to welcome it back as a CD. Thankfully, Chicago's Corbett vs. Dempsey label has done the sensible thing and re-released the album in a replica of the original album sleeve, complete with artwork, photographs and notes, including sheet music of the contents, written in Lacy's own hand. Those contents consist of fourteen relatively short (mostly around three-and-a-half-minutes) vignettes, each one titled with a letter of the alphabet followed by words of wisdom or advice, hence the album title. For instance, the second track is entitled "B — Do Not Imitate What You Wish To Create".
Although credited jointly to Steve Lacy and Steve Potts, respectively playing soprano and alto saxophone, the credit also bears the line "featuring the voice of Irčne Aebi". Apart from those three, no other musicians are present, so there is neither a rhythm section nor a harmony instrument. In keeping with her credit, Aebi's role is small compared to those of the two saxophonists, being confined to an introductory twenty-second declamatory rendition, in French, of each track's title. As ever, her formal, detached vocal delivery reveals that Aebi is classically trained, not a natural jazz singer. After her introductory passage, each piece becomes a saxophone duo between Lacy and Potts.
The most obvious thing about the two saxophonists is their mutual familiarity and the resulting trust of each other. By the time of this recording, Potts had been a member of Lacy's groups for seven years (and would remain so for decades more). It is not difficult to argue that Potts is one of the great unsung heroes of recent jazz. This album's joint credit is entirely fitting as Potts is an equal partner here, no way deserving to be called a sideman. He contributed immeasurably to the sound and warmth of Lacy's music, his fuller and earthier tone making him the perfect foil to Lacy. So there is no difficulty telling the two apart, even when their lines become inextricably interweaved. Here, they give a bravura performance, weaving saxophone lines around each other and trading phrases throughout — exemplary duo playing!
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