William B. Lawsha, better known as Prince Lasha (), (September 10, 1929 – December 12, 2008) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

alto saxophonist The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

, baritone saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist and English horn player.

Life and career

He was born in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, where he came of age studying and performing alongside fellow

I.M. Terrell High School I.M Terrell High School was a secondary school located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school opened in 1882 as the city's first black school, during the era of formal racial segregation in the United States. Though the high school closed in 1973, th ...

students John Carter, Ornette Coleman,

King Curtis Curtis Ousley (born Curtis Montgomery; February 7, 1934 – August 13, 1971), known professionally as King Curtis, was an American saxophonist who played rhythm and blues, jazz, and rock and roll. A bandleader, band member, and session musician ...

Charles Moffett Charles Moffett (September 6, 1929 – February 14, 1997) was an American free jazz drummer. Biography Moffett was born in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended I.M. Terrell High School with Ornette Coleman. Before switching to drums, Mof ...

, and

Dewey Redman Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett. Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played al ...

. Lasha moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

during the 1950s. In the 1960s, he was active in the burgeoning

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

movement, of which his Fort Worth cohort Ornette Coleman was a pioneer. Lasha recorded with Eric Dolphy ('' Iron Man'' and ''

Conversations Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus ...

'', both in 1963) and the

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

/ Jimmy Garrison Sextet featuring

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 ...

('' Illumination!,'' also in 1963). Lasha moved to Europe and in 1966 was based in Kensington, London, The album ''

Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...

'' (1966) by the Prince Lasha Ensemble was recorded in England and featured local musicians, including

Bruce Cale Bruce Cale (born 17 February 1939, Leura) is an Australian jazz double-bassist and composer. Career Cale began studying music at age nine, and worked professionally in Sydney from 1958. He worked with Bryce Rohde's quartet from 1962–65, then ...

, Dave Willis,

Jeff Clyne Jeffrey Ovid Clyne (29 January 1937 – 16 November 2009) was a British jazz bassist (playing both bass guitar and double bass). He worked with Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott in their group the Jazz Couriers for a year from 1958, and was part ...

Rick Laird Richard Quentin Laird (February 5, 1941 – July 4, 2021) was an Irish musician, photographer, teacher, and author best known as the bassist and a founding member of the jazz fusion band Mahavishnu Orchestra, with which he performed from 1971 to ...

, Joe Oliver (drums), David Snell (harp), Mike Carr,

Stan Tracey Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album '' Jazz Suite Inspi ...

, John Mumford (trombone) and Chris Bateson (trumpet). Returning to the US in 1967, Lasha worked closely with saxophonist

Sonny Simmons Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician. Biography Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along w ...

, with whom he recorded two albums, ''

The Cry! ''The Cry!'' is an album by saxophonists Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons which was recorded in late 1962 and released on the Contemporary label. Reception Allmusic awarded the album 4 stars with its review by Alex Henderson stating: "This albu ...

'' (1962) and ''Firebirds'' (1967), for

Contemporary Records Contemporary Records was a jazz record company and label founded by Lester Koenig in Los Angeles in 1951. Contemporary produced music from a variety of jazz styles and players. West Coast players Contemporary became identified with a style of j ...

. The latter album received five stars and an ''AMG Albumpick'' at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. In the 1970s, Lasha and Simmons made additional recordings under the name Firebirds. In 2005, Lasha recorded the album ''The Mystery of Prince Lasha'' with the Odean Pope Trio. Lasha died on December 12, 2008, in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' (Contemporary, 1962) with

* '' Inside Story'' (Enja 3073, 1965

981 Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events Births * Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, Arab statesman (d. 1027) * Giovanni Orseolo, Venetian ...

* ''

'' (CBS SBPG 62409, 1966) * ''

Firebirds Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures * Bennu, Egyptian firebird * Huma bird, Persian firebird * Firebird (Slavic folklore) Bird species ''Various sp ...

'' (Contemporary, 1967) with Sonny Simmons * ''Firebirds, Live at the Berkeley Jazz Festival Vol. 1'' (Birdseye series 99001, 1974) * ''Firebirds, Live at the Berkeley Jazz Festival Vol. 2'' (Birdseye series 99001, 1974) (also released as ''Search for Tomorrow'' (Enja 4008, 1982)) * ''Firebirds, And Now Music'' (daagnimRecords LP09, 1983) with Dennis Gonzalez / Webster Armstrong * ''The Mystery of Prince Lasha'' with the Odean Pope Trio - CIMP, 2005

As sideman

With Gene Ammons *'' Brasswind'' (Prestige, 1974) With Eric Dolphy * '' Iron Man'' (1963) * ''

'' (1963) With

/ Jimmy Garrison * ''Illumination!'' (1963) With Michael White *'' The Land of Spirit and Light'' (Impulse!, 1973) With

Dennis Gonzalez Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

* ''Witness'' (daagnim Records LP08, 1983)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasha, Prince 1929 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century clarinetists 20th-century American saxophonists American expatriates in England American jazz alto saxophonists American jazz clarinetists American jazz flautists American male saxophonists Contemporary Records artists Enja Records artists Jazz musicians from Texas American male jazz musicians People from Fort Worth, Texas 20th-century flautists