It can probably be said that each musician's release provides at least a partial summation of the artist's body of work. Charles Lloyd seems to give a complete summation with every new record - but with each album sounding fresh.
Lloyd's most recent entry (released today) in this unofficial series is Jumping The Creek. Lloyd has assembled a killer lineup that most definitely suits his muscular style of sax play. Geri Allen's angular reactions to Lloyd's lines (check out her solo/response on "Ken Katta Ma Om") seem right at home here. Robert Hurst (Pharoah Sanders, Tony Williams, Branford Marsalis) takes up the low end with a lot of melodic flair, reminding me of Ornettte-era Charlie Haden. I've never heard of drummer Eric Harland but the man can lay claim to a mountain of technique (especially on the snare) as well as sensitivity.
And then there's Lloyd himself, weaving all of this together with saxes (tenor and Paul Desmond-ish alto) and the taragato (Turkish Pipe). The word "weaved" was used here because, unlike some jazz groups, Lloyd seems more like an equal band member rather than the lead instrument needing support from the rest of the cast. On some tunes (the closing "Song of the Inuit", for one) Lloyd presents a mere thematic fragment that is expanded upon and endlessly morphed by the entire ensemble.
It's this kind more "open" jazz quartet music that people should be exposed to when they think jazz means "ching, ching-a, ching". There's far more to it than that. Another kind of gateway record? Maybe.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Mark,
I promoted this review to Advance.net. That means I put it here (and these places) where it could potentially be read by another few hundred thousand readers.
- Thank you for the post. Temple Stark
2 - frankiepop
You know, I'm calling you on the Charles Lloyd Myth, which has arisen in the last couple of years. First, Charles LLoyd made some great records with his 60s quartets, and he may have had a fairly substantial fan base for awhile. However, I challenge you to go back to 60s Jazz Journals and literature and cite this hippie Jazz phenomenon.
This hardly exists and may include a small northern Calif. audience that led to the Moscow trip. I have been reading Jazz literature since the 70s voraciously. There was rarely a mention of Lloyd and never as a 60s popular Jazz artists.
I bet somebody has mischaracterized Lloyd in the late 90s or 2000s to promote his excellent music, all the world Jazz has digested it through a big straw.
3 - Forest Flower
Interviews with Charles Lloyd MP3 format [and another] Charles Lloyd
very interesting