"The final two LPs in the latest Ictus batch, The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (ICTUSRE 008LP), both draw on the same period that the veteran saxophonist produced Clangs and Trio Live, both recorded in 1976 during of two weeks that he was touring Italy with Andrea Centazzo, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively, and reissued in 2021's batch. Gathering four sides of material, issued as two individual LPs, here is an offering of incredible insight into that moment's striking collaborations with Centazzo and the bassist Kent Carter, forming in duo and trio configurations. The Ictus Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 encounter Steve Lacy -- one of the giants of American free jazz -- already two decades into a career defined by brilliant collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, and Thelonious Monk, among others, as well as a sprawling body of visionary work as a leader. Like so much of his work leading into this period, it draws upon the saxophonist's belief that an artist should play what you feel, a position that Centazzo recalls as having torn down the curtain that separated his technique from his creativity. The first volume of Steve Lacy pieces from the Ictus Archives features five pieces: "Figment", "Coastline", "Swab", "Hooky", and "The Duck", encountering the saxophonist playing solo live renditions of some of his classic pieces from the period ("Coastline" appeared on his seminal FMP LP Stabs / Solo In Berlin) and in two duos with Andrea Centazzo, one of which, "The Duck" was previously issued as a solo piece (also on Stabs / Solo In Berlin) and now emerges in this new form. The recordings featured across the album's two sides were captured on February 18th 1976 in a concert in Udine Italy and have never before been issued in such a focus form. The lyricality of Lacy's playing sets them apart from the more brittle and textural temperance featured throughout much of the label's output. Crucial artifacts of the seminal saxophonist at the height of his career, never before encountered in these full concert formations, and thus pushing the historical importance of the Ictus reissue series to the next level. Cover picture by Roberto Masotti, courtesy of Lelli e Masotti archive." - Ictus.
After nearly a decade of false starts, multiple game plans veering off the rails, and a handful of shattered hopes and/or dreams, the odyssey is finally complete—the new Fusetron site is here.
This is the first phase of a multipart rollout that will span the next few months: the currently browsable stock includes miscellaneous new releases from the past 8+ months (we have a lot of catching up to do), plus approximately a third of our backstock. Note that we’ve reduced/slashed prices on many titles and will continue to do so in order to make room for new stock. We’ll also be expanding / tweaking / improving / debugging the site itself (for example, we still have work to do on the automated international postage system, not to mention the inevitable inventory discrepancies that come with transferring an ancient and massive database to a new system).
Over the next few months, as we take inventory, clean house, and delve into our storage, we will be uploading thousands of additional items, gradually, on a near-daily basis. This will include the majority of the LPs, as well as many titles, in all formats, once thought long-gone. Many currently “sold out” items are likely to resurface.
Finally, once our general backstock is up (probably in the next two or three months) we’ll begin making our extensive stockpile of rarities available online for the first time: tons of random out-of-print titles, "deadstock," warehouse finds, secondhand collectibles, etc., accumulated over the past few decades.
Frequent/returning customers will be getting early access to these items. Details to follow on how this will work (a priority mailing list? a 'frequent flyer'-like program?), but it will not be based on dollars spent. We want to reward those who consistently support us, especially in the discogs marketplace era (to those who show up trying to poach five copies of a one-off rarity, and nothing else, ever… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ).
So—we suggest you take some time to dig through the site—even we’ve been surprised by what’s been turning up, and there’s much more to come.
