Steve Lacy’s reputation as jazz’s quintessential soprano saxophone specialist often obscures his singular commitment to composing songs on others’ texts. A pinnacle of this work is Packet, Lacy’s 1995 suite on poems by Judith Malina. Montreal’s Susanna Hood is one of the finest interpreters of Lacy’s vocal works, and, alongside pianist Tania Gill and soprano player Kayla Milmine, delivers Malina’s emotional, expressly feminist texts with precision, nuance, and elan. What makes unPacked special, however, are Hood’s riveting dance improvisations; as an improviser across dance and music, she is without peer.
Friday 15 September, 3pm • Studio Theatre, River Run Centre • $25/20 (double-bill with Coastlines Duo) [buy tickets]
Photo of Susanna Hood by Frédérique Ménard-Aubin