Those who were fortunate enough to see the Steve Lacy Sextet perform at Snug Harbor June 9 were witness to some of the most artistic and creative improvisational music in existence. Based in Paris, the sextet stopped in New Orleans to play its second show of their North American tour.

The sextet is unique in that whatever artistic directions they may want to take, they take, without regard for economic considerations. It was this attitude of pushing his art to its outer limits that led Lacy to move to Europe in the first place. Not even New York could support the direction his music was taking. Paris has a reputation for embracing the avant garde, and it was there that Lacy found his niche.

Not even his instrument, the soprano saxophone, is often featured in the jazz world. When it is, it’s usually by a tenor player. Not until John Coltrane took up soprano in the early 1960s did people begin to consider it a good instrument for jazz. And while Lacy landed a gig with Thelonius Monk in the 1960s, Monk’s preference for the high range of the tenor cost him his job, despite his playing ability.

Part of what makes the sextet so good is the communication the group has developed with their years of playing together, a situation quite unusual in the jazz world. Lacy’s sextet, formed in 1972, still features tenor saxophonist Steve Potts, pianist Bobby Few, and vocalist and violinist Irene Aebi. Bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel joined Lacy in 1981, and drummer John Betsch last year.

Their music is on the cutting edge of improvisational music. With highly compositional songs of unusual harmonies and contrapuntal melody lines, they take their music to the limits, into the future of mainstream jazz. Each is a master of improvisation.

Lacy has an anything-goes approach to improvising. He can play beautifully, he can play mean, he makes unusual sounds with the instrument, all with a sense of composition and purpose.

Steve Potts on tenor, who originally hails from Ohio, is considered by Lacy to be his “right arm.” He sounds like a further advancement of John Coltrane, and plays with incredible passion. Underneath a flurry of notes is highly advanced melodic composition with the occasional blue note. Potts has also played with Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Pianist Bobby Few’s improvisations more closely resemble the cadenza of a classical piece than the typical jazz solo. He creates effects with glissandos up and down the keys. He pounds chords percussively. He throws in an occasionally humorous and cheesy cliche line. His solos are truly an adventure.

Bassist J.J. Avenel is a self-taught master with a larger-than-life tone and an incredibly upbeat approach to the bass. His touch is sublime, able to play quick lines with a full and legato sound. He ventures outside the rhythmic feel and occasionally funks it up, throwing in chords and percussive slaps. Both Avenel and Few experimented heavily with the Free Jazz of the early 1970s.

John Betsch is also a master on the drums. A recent addition to the sextet, Betsch has previously teamed up with the likes of Archie Shepp, Dexter Gordon, Mal Waldron and Klaus Konig.

Complementing the group is Irene Aebi, who added vocals and violin parts. Her vocals cover difficult, wide ranging, quick lines in counterpoint with the saxophones. Her voice is pure and resonant as she sings the poetry of Samuel Beckett, Howard Melville and others in French. She also played the occasional composed violin part.

Only in Paris could such a far-reaching improvisational group thrive as they do. The band’s other projects are even further outside the mainstream. Aebi leads her own trio, Artsongs, with herself, a harp and a clarinet. Avenel is one of Europe’s best kora players, a 21-string African instrument. He also plays the sanza, an African thumb piano. Potts’ recent solo release, Pearl, features a French-style accordion.

The group’s success in Paris is a sad reminder to us in New Orleans, the city that gave birth to jazz, that our indigenous music is more appreciated elsewhere. Even New Orleans musicians are more in demand in Europe than they are in their own hometown.

For those who missed Lacy, he is hoping to return for the Jazz and Heritage Festival. Also, you can catch him on a newly released duet album with pianist Mal Waldron called Hot House on RCA.