Some people really want to play Mozart and be just performers. I was more interested in invention.

Lacy was interested in all the arts: the visual arts and poetry in particular became important sources for him. Live in Berlin
Lacy played his 'farewell concerts to Europe' in Belgium in duo and solo for a small but motivated public. Europe and sextet
Lacy's first visit to Europe came in 1965 with a visit to Copenhagen in the company of Kenny Drew; he went to Italy and formed a quartet with Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava and the South African musicians Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo (their visit to Buenos Aires is documented on The Forest and the Zoo ESP 1967).

He worked extensively in experimental jazz and dabbled in free improvisation but Lacy's music was typically melodic and tightly-structured. Beyond Monk Lacy performed the work of jazz composers such as Charles Mingus Duke Ellington and Herbie Nichols; unlike many jazz musicians he rarely played standard popular or show tunes.