Daunik Lazro - Some Other Zongs

Dan Warburton, The Wire

Simply put, Daunik Lazro is the greatest baritone saxophonist since John Surman, and if you don't believe me then you haven't heard this truly outstanding set of six solo improvisations recorded live in medieval churches in Le Mans and Paris. The 66 year old Frenchman knows well that the mighty horn can do oh so much more than merely spit out gobs of fury Gustafsson-style, and, whether nailing multiphonics with John Butcher precision, sailing into soprano territory by exploring overblown harmonics with breathtaking accuracy, or just wailing the blues – “Vieux Carré” by his old pal Joe McPhee – Lazro’s mastery of the instrument is matched only by his consummate musicality.