William B. Lawsha, better known as Prince Lasha (September 10, 1929 - December 12, 2008), was an American jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 alto saxophonist, flautist

Flautist

A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

, and clarinetist.

He was born in Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...

, where he came of age studying and performing alongside fellow musician

Musician

A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....

s John Carter

John Carter (jazz musician)

John Wallace Carter was an American jazz clarinet, saxophone, and flute player.-Biography:Born in Fort Worth, Texas, he played with Ornette Coleman and Charles Moffett in the 1940s. From 1961, Carter was based mainly on the West Coast. There he met Bobby Bradford in 1965, with whom he...

, Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman

Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....

, King Curtis

King Curtis

Curtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...

, Charles Moffett

Charles Moffett

Charles Moffett was a free jazz drummer.Moffett began his musical career as a trumpeter before switching to drums. He is probably best known for his part in Ornette Coleman's trio with David Izenzon in the 1960s. He also appeared on other important albums of that period, such as Archie Shepp's...

, and Dewey Redman

Dewey Redman

Dewey Redman was an American jazz saxophonist, known for performing free jazz as a bandleader, and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett....

.

Lasha moved to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 during the 1950s. In the 1960s, Prince Lasha was active in the burgeoning free jazz

Free jazz

Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...

 movement, of which his Fort Worth cohort Ornette Coleman was a pioneer. Lasha worked closely with saxophonist Sonny Simmons

Sonny Simmons

Huey "Sonny" Simmons is an American jazz musician.He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the english horn. At age 16 he took up the alto saxophone, which became his primary instrument...

, with whom he recorded two albums, The Cry and Firebirds

Firebirds (album)

Firebirds is a 1968 album by two American Jazz musicians, Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons . Other participating musicians in this album were bassist Buster Williams, drummer Charles Moffett and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson...

, for Contemporary Records

Contemporary Records

Contemporary Records was a jazz record label founded by Lester Koenig in 1951 in Los Angeles. Contemporary was known for seminal recordings embodying the West Coast sound, but also released recordings based in New York...

. The latter album received five stars and an AMG Albumpick at Allmusic. Lasha also appeared on recordings by Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy

Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...

 (Iron Man) and the Elvin Jones

Elvin Jones

Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....

/Jimmy Garrison

Jimmy Garrison

Jimmy Garrison was an American jazz double bassist born in Miami, Florida. He was best known through his long association with John Coltrane from 1961–1967.-Biography:...

 Sextet featuring McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...

 (Illumination!).

In the 1970s, Lasha and Sonny Simmons

Sonny Simmons

Huey "Sonny" Simmons is an American jazz musician.He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the english horn. At age 16 he took up the alto saxophone, which became his primary instrument...

 made additional recordings under the name Firebirds. In 2005, Lasha recorded the album The Mystery of Prince Lasha with the Odean Pope Trio

Odean Pope

Odean Pope is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young...

. Lasha died on December 12, 2008 in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

.

As leader

• The Cry! - Contemporary Records, 1962
• Insight - CBS (UK only), 1966
• Firebirds
  Firebirds (album)
  Firebirds is a 1968 album by two American Jazz musicians, Prince Lasha and Sonny Simmons . Other participating musicians in this album were bassist Buster Williams, drummer Charles Moffett and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson...
  
  with Sonny Simmons - Contemporary Records, 1967
• Firebirds, Live At The Berkeley Jazz Festival - Birdseye Records, 1974
• And Now Music - Daagnim Records, 1983
• The Mystery of Prince Lasha with the Odean Pope Trio
  Odean Pope
  Odean Pope is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Pope was raised in Philadelphia, where he learned from Ray Bryant while young...
  
   - CIMP, 2005

As sideman

With Eric Dolphy

Eric Dolphy

Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...

• Iron Man
  Iron Man (Eric Dolphy album)
  Iron Man is a 1963 album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy.-Track listing:Side 1:# "Iron Man" – 9:07# "Mandrake" – 4:50# "Come Sunday" – 6:24Side 2:# "Burning Spear" – 11:49# "Ode to C.P." – 8:05...
  
  (1963)
• Conversations
  Conversations (Eric Dolphy album)
  Conversations is a 1963 album by American jazz multi-instrumentalist, Eric Dolphy.- Track listing :Side 1:# "Jitterbug Waltz" – 7:17# "Music Matador" – 9:35 Side 2:# "Love Me" – 3:22# "Alone Together" – 13:36- Personnel :...
  
  (1963)

With Elvin Jones

Elvin Jones

Elvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....

 / Jimmy Garrison

Jimmy Garrison

Jimmy Garrison was an American jazz double bassist born in Miami, Florida. He was best known through his long association with John Coltrane from 1961–1967.-Biography:...

• Illumination! (1963)