Photography: Jonathan
Sloane
Lalama is a grand, modern-minded storyteller
who knows bebop, and other stuff, too. … He has his own sound,
husky with a bit of sparkle, going from fat, low-end belches to whispery
high tones.
His melodies are authoritative and warmly melodic, his time drummer-sure.
In other words, a first-class jazz soloist.
Zan Stewart, Down
Beat
Ralph Lalama is
a world-class tenor saxophonist who has found
his fame on the New York jazz scene and around the globe through his association
with such luminary bands as the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (formerly
the Thad Jones /Mel Lewis Orchestra - with whom he's played since 1983),
the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the Joe Lovano Nonet.
Though critics and fans have often compared his sound to the likes of Sonny Rollins and Hank Mobley, Ralph has evolved his voice into an unmistakable one all his own; and he can always be counted on to get down to the heart of the musical matter. Included in his busy recording career are five CDs as a leader for the Criss Cross jazz label; one of them ("Circle Line") earned him four-and-a-half stars from DownBeat.