Steve Lacy, Dreams (side A)

1975's Dreams reflects Lacy's structural and conceptual take on jazz.  The jagged melodies and syncopated rhythms clearly draw from jazz, but despite them, the music never finds a flow, instead repeatedly emphasizing their breaks and disconnects.  Like much of Lacy's mid-70s work, and unlike some of his later albums, Dreams uses relatively fast tempos to create propulsion and energy.  The sound of the record clearly emphasizes the front line of Lacy, Steve Potts, and Derek Bailey (!).  The rhythm section—both of Lacy's regular bassists, Jean-Jacques Avenel and Kent Carter, are here, along with lesser-known drummer Kenneth Tyler—is somewhat buried in the mix, as it's a primitive recording overall.  The front cover painting and design, while tasteful, adds little to the contents within.