Frank Lacy (born August 9, 1958, Houston, Texas) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trombonist who has spent many years as a member of the Mingus Big Band.

Career

Lacy's father was a teacher who played guitar with Arnett Cobb,

Illinois Jacquet Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet (October 30, 1922 – July 22, 2004) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on " Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo. Although he was a pioneer of ...

, and

Eddie Cleanhead Vinson Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson (born Edward L. Vinson Jr.; December 18, 1917 – July 2, 1988) was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was a ...

. His mother was a gospel singer. When Lacy was eight, he started learning piano. In his teens, he played

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, and

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" o ...

before switching to

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

. He got a degree in physics from Texas Southern University. In 1979, he went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying trombone and composition. His classmates included Branford Marsalis, Greg Osby, and

Marvin Smith Marvin "Smitty" Smith (born June 24, 1961) is an American jazz drummer and composer. Marvin Smith was born in Waukegan, Illinois, where his father, Marvin Sr., was a drummer. "Smitty" was exposed to music at a young age, receiving formal musica ...

. Lacy moved to New York City in 1981. In 1986, he played with Illinois Jacquet's big band, and a couple years later he was musical director for Art Blakey. He released his first album as a band leader in 1991 with his father on guitar. He has also worked with

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in ...

, Marty Ehrlich,

Michael Formanek Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958) is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California, United States, and associated with the jazz scene in New York. Career In the 1980s, Formanek worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Hender ...

, Slide Hampton, Roy Hargrove, Rufus Reid,

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

, Steve Turre,

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

, and

Bobby Watson Robert Michael Watson Jr. (born August 23, 1953), known professionally as Bobby Watson, is an American saxophonist, composer, and educator. Music career Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He ...

. He has spent over twenty years as a member of the

Mingus Big Band The Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with the Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Monda ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Tonal Weights and Blue Fire'' (Tutu, 1990) * ''Settegast Strut'' (Tutu, 1995) * ''Songs from the Musical Poker'' (Tutu, 1996) * ''Heaven Sent'', with Mauro Ottolini (Musica, 2013) * ''That Which is Planted'', with 10³²K (Passin' Thru, 2013) * ''Live at Smalls'' (Smalls Live, 2014)

As sideman

With

* ''Nostalgia in Times Square'' ( Dreyfus, 1993) * ''Live in Time'' (Dreyfus, 1996) * ''Que Viva Mingus'' (Dreyfus, 1997) * ''Tonight at Noon'' (2002) * ''I Am Three'' (2005) * ''Live in Tokyo at the Blue Note'' (2006) * ''Mingus Sings'' ( Sunnyside, 2015) With

* ''Avant Pop'' ( ECM, 1986) * ''Twilight Dreams'' (1987) * ''Serious Fun'' ( DIW, 1989) * ''My Way'' (DIW, 1990) * ''The Fire This Time'' (1992) With Roy Hargrove * ''Approaching Standards'' (

Novus Novus ("new" in Latin) may refer to: Companies * Novus Biologicals, a biotech company based in Littleton, Colorado, US * Novus Entertainment, a Canadian telecommunications company * Novus International, an animal health and nutrition company * Nov ...

, 1994) * ''Habana'' ( Verve, 1997) With David Murray * '' David Murray Big Band'' (DIW, 1991) * '' South of the Border'' (DIW, 1992) With

* ''You Know the Number'' (Novus, 1986) * ''Easily Slip Into Another World'' (Novus, 1987) With Steve Turre * ''Rhythm Within'' (Antilles, 1995) * ''The Bones of Art'' (HighNote, 2013) With

* ''Journey'' (Verve, 1993) * ''The Turning Point'' (Verve, 1992) With others * ''Superblue'', Superblue (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1988) * ''Fleur Carnivore'',

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936) is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'' ...

(1988) * ''Julius Hemphill Big Band'', Julius Hemphill (1988) * '' Chippin' In'', Art Blakey ( Timeless, 1990) * ''Side by Side'', Marty Ehrlich (1991) * ''Tailor Made'',

(1993) * ''Shuttle'',

Ronnie Burrage Ronnie Burrage (born James Ronaldo Burrage October 19, 1959) is an American jazz drummer. His style draws from jazz, funk, and soul. Career He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Burrage sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir f ...

(1993) * ''Low Profile'',

(1994) * ''Art'',

Ralph Peterson Jr. Ralph Peterson Jr. (May 20, 1962 – March 1, 2021) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Early life Four of Peterson's uncles and his grandfather were drummers. Peterson himself began on percussion at age three. He was raised in Pleasan ...

(1994) * ''The Voice of the Saxophone'',

Don Braden Don Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.https://jazzbakery.org/events/saxophoniest-don-braden-quartet-presents-earth-wind-and-wonder saxophonist Don Braden Quartet presents Earth Wind and Wonder Career Braden w ...

(1997) * ''Social Call'',

Jazzmeia Horn Jazzmeia Horn (born April 16, 1991) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She won the Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition in 2015. Horn's repertoire includes jazz standards and covers of songs from other genres, inclu ...

(2017) * ''Abstractions in Lime Caverns'',

Michael Marcus (musician) Michael Marcus (August 25, 1952) is an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. He plays Clarinet family, B & A clarinets, bass clarinet; sopranino, soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, and C melody saxophone, C melody saxophones, Saxophone#Unusual ...

(ESP-Disk', 2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Frank 1959 births Living people American jazz trombonists Male trombonists The Jazz Messengers members Musicians from Houston 21st-century trombonists American male jazz musicians Mingus Big Band members Superblue (band) members The Soultronics members