In his own way, Ku-umba Frank Lacy is something of a living legend. The one-time Jazz Messengers' musical director has made his mark in just about every area of jazz and its offshoots. A major funk force to be reckoned with, he's equally at home with the Henry Threadgills, Oliver Lakes and Julius Hamphills of the avant garde brigade as he is with the Mingus Big Band or Roy Hargrove or D'Angelo. A regular at Smalls, he's heard here with the club's Legacy Band. The material is excellent and most of the arrangements, by Lacy himself, are more than just opening and closing ensembles with solos in between. Horn riffs inspire the band, which is booted along by an A-team rhythm section of Wallace Roney's fiery Kush Abadey, Roney's superb bassist Rashaan Carter and pianist Theo Hill, a relative unknown chosen by trumpeter Charles Tolliver for his recent London appearance. Lacy's work is generally hard-bop mellow, though his gutsy almost fruity gospel side shows up, (‘Spirit Monitor’) as well as a really traditional jazz vocal sound, which former boss Dizzy Gillespie would have appreciated (‘Carolyn's Dance’). Stacy Dillard, who is thankfully getting quite a few record dates these days, blows with fire and feeling throughout and the lesser-known, rather intense contemporary-minded Josh Evans shows he has plenty to offer. The tunes? Maybe a little too similar in tempo, but all are above average melodic compositions by George Cables, Charles Fambrough, the long-forgotten pianist Joe Bonner and Freddie Hubbard and three equally good ones by Lacy himself. To think: attending this session would have cost you all of 10 dollars!