Tenor saxophonist Andrew Lamb is capable of screaming like a full-blooded free jazzer, but more often than not he prefers to work a high-energy middle ground between bop and the avant-garde, in terms of both tone and harmony. Lamb was born in Clinton, NC, and grew up partly in Chicago before eventually putting down roots in New York. Having studied with AACM charter member Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Lamb came onto the city's avant-garde scene just as it was winding down in the '70s, and thus wasn't documented for quite some time. In the meantime, he became an active presence on the Bedford-Stuyvesant arts scene, eventually winning a grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council. In 1994, Lamb finally got the chance to lead a session for Delmark; he composed all the pieces on Portrait in the Mist, which featured a backing unit of vibraphonist Warren Smith, bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Andrei Strobert. Lamb and his backing ensemble became a regular presence in the New York area, especially around Brooklyn, and frequently played the annual Vision Festival, which began in 1996. In 2001, he took part in Alan Silva's big-band project the Sound Visions Orchestra, and the following year he toured with AACM-affiliated drummer Alvin Fielder. ~ Steve Huey