Jazz Articles about Charles Lloyd

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Charles Lloyd: Jumping the Creek

by Ollie Bivens
October 22, 2005

The many fans of Charles Lloyd will revel in Jumping the Creek, one of the best since his “comeback" in the late '80s. Of the members of his new band, pianist Geri Allen has played the longest with the saxophonist (about five years). However, the group plays so well together that is easy to assume that they have been performing as a unit for some time. Consisting of duets and trios among various band members, Jumping the Creek continually shifts ...

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Charles Lloyd Quartet: Jumping the Creek

by Eric J. Iannelli
May 22, 2005

On the cover of Charles Lloyd's latest album, a solitary figure walks with some deliberation toward a vast expanse of sea. A series of lines converge at his right, appearing to box him in like one of Francis Bacon's popes. And so before even getting so far as inserting the disc in the player, the listener is aware that Lloyd's chosen title is an ironic understatement, partly cynical, partly playful. This is hardly a matter of jumping the creek. It's ...

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Charles Lloyd: Jumping the Creek

by John Kelman
April 4, 2005

While saxophonist Charles Lloyd made some memorable ensemble discs with the late, great drummer Billy Higgins--'99's Voice in the Night, '00's The Water is Wide and '01's Hyperion with Higgins--there was always something a little safe about these recordings. When working with Higgins, with the exception of their last release together, '04's duet Which Way is East, Lloyd seemed to ground himself in more mainstream territory than he did on his more broadly-reaching '90s albums with pianist Bobo Stenson and ...

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Charles Lloyd: Jumping the Creek

by Eyal Hareuveni
March 29, 2005

When it comes to saxophonist Charles Lloyd, you always know that with every new release you will marvel at his melodic and serene playing, his spiritual vision, and his relaxed and flexible manner of leading his ensemble. With his new quartet--featuring pianist Geri Allen, who collaborated with Lloyd on Lift Every Voice (ECM, 2002), bassist Bob Hurst, and young and imaginative drummer Eric Harland, Lloyd again delivers a beautiful and mature statement.

Jumping the Creek offers a mix ...

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Charles Lloyd/Billy Higgins: Which Way Is East

by David Adler
July 2, 2004

“We got to keep workin’ on this music.” Four months before his death, drum shaman Billy Higgins spoke those words to Charles Lloyd. The two were in the midst of some of their final conversations, both verbal and musical. Higgins had been in and out of hospitals, battling liver failure, and he and Lloyd knew their time together was short. So they hunkered down in Montecito, California in January of 2001 to play. The resulting two-disc package, Which Way Is ...

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Charles Lloyd/Billy Higgins: Which Way Is East

by Mark Corroto
June 6, 2004

Name your religion. Seriously, these days everyone from President “Dubya" to freedom fighters is wearing his or her religion on their sleeves. Why not jazz musicians?

And jazz musicians seem to “get it." The spiritual part, that is. From Coltrane to James Moody and Dizzy Gillespie—it’s all about the love supreme, if I can steal a title.

For drummer Billy Higgins and his long-time friend Charles Lloyd the big picture hovers close to this two-disc, ...

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A Fireside Chat with Charles Lloyd

by AAJ Staff
May 17, 2004

Spirituality is often feigned and frequently copied for its cache value. The figure most commonly associated with spirituality is John Coltrane. And his divinity is authenticated by his associations (Eric Dolphy, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Burrell) and the indisputable gospel of the Church of St. John Coltrane. A commanding presence, Charles Lloyd (unedited and in his own words), an erstwhile disciple, has matured to emerge as a messenger of the music. Paralleling Trane, the company Lloyd has kept (Billy Higgins) ultimately ...