Except for his 2014 Monk Work release, the majority of Jean Derome’s discography has focused on his own compositions. That began to change in 2019 when his band, Somebody Special, issued their first recording of Stave Lacy compositions. Derome along with bassist Normand Guilbeault, pianist Alexandre Grogg, drummer Pierre Tanguay and vocalist Karen Young continue that tradition on Le sourire. Rather than simply covering tunes primarily from Lacy’s Rushes, Packets and Futurities recordings, the band adds their own unique voices to 11 tunes with lyrics from authors Anna Akhmatova, Samuel Beckett, Robert Creeley, Bob Kaufman and Judith Malina, With her eclectic background in everything from classical to world music and jazz to musical theatre, Young brings a new sensibility to lyrics once sung by Irene Aebi. Check out her warbling and chirps on The Cuckoo or her soaring solo on Sands, 2: Jump. Although Derome could have easily played Lacy’s parts on soprano sax, his flute playing literally breaths new live into tunes such as Sands, 3: Fall, Love and Politics and I Heard the Indian Sage. On other selections, such as The Smile, Morning Joy and As Usual he switches to the alto saxophone. Grogg’s solos run the gamut from rhapsodic on Heaven to complex on As Usual. Throughout the entire session, Tanguay and Guilbeault provide the glue that holds the often-jagged rhythms and harmonies of Lacy’s music together, leaving room for Derome, Young and Grogg to explore the possibilities. At a time when many musicians are satisfied simply recreating the music of the masters, it is refreshing to hear Derome’s Somebody Special reminding us of the power, beauty and adaptability of pieces Lacy composed more than 40 years ago. As a matter of fact, Lacy composed over 600 works during his lifetime. So, hopefully we have not heard the last from Somebody Special.

BOTTOM LINE: Steve Lacy’s earliest recordings from the late 1950s recast the music of Thelonious Monk. So, it only seems fair that Jean Derome’s Le sourire recast the music of Steve Lacy! The chantlike phrasing, jagged structures and art song lyrics for which Lacy was known are in good hands with Derome and the group that takes its name from the Lacy tune Somebody Special.