NEW RELEASES : In Brief

* * * 1/2 Steve Lacy Octet, “Vespers,” Soul Note. This is an absorbing work that fully realizes the soprano saxophonist’s objectives as a composer. The song cycle celebrates four deceased musicians and three visual artists, with the texts drawn from poems by female Bulgarian poet-politician Blaga Dimitrova. Adding Ricky Ford’s tenor and Tom Varner’s French horn to Lacy’s regular sextet gives “Vespers” a fuller sound and Irene Aebi’s vocals--which can be problematic--fit perfectly in the controlled context. The carefully crafted compositions are beautifully executed and the quiet assurance of the solos grows with repeated listenings.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).