Lake, Oliver – “Passing Thru” – [Passin' Thru Records]

Alto sax legend Oliver Lake was part of the Black Artists Group collective and also one of the founders of the World Saxophone Quartet. This album was recorded in 1974 and is mostly solos, sounding to my ear as highly improvised in the free jazz vein. Exceptions to the solos are track 2 on Side A features popping, twangy synthesizer sounds and track 2 on Side B which adds some percussion. Lake’s tone is not sweet or mellow, a bit tart and tangy – listen a few times to learn.