Charles Lloyd: Sangam & Friends

With the release of Sangam & Friends, saxophonist-flutist Charles Lloyd pays homage to his kindred spirit and longtime collaborator, tabla master Zakir Hussain. Not that any reaffirmation was necessary based on their prior efforts together, but this album vividly depicts the deep musical affinity between the two extraordinary musicians as well as their sympathetic associates. 

The album is built around studio recordings made in 2009 for a project that was never completed. Combined with live performances by the core trio of Lloyd, Hussain and drummer Eric Harland, selections from each source are interwoven so that, as on "The Blessing," continuous rounds of voices and instruments mirror each other over the course of this entire 44-some minutes.

The insinuating, albeit truncated, "Clear The Dust" is thus a most fitting intro to the program. Sounds and textures expand exponentially over the course of the seven cuts and, produced by Dorothy Darr with mixing by Dom Camardella for mastering by Kevin Gray, sonic subtleties abound via the well-tempered separation of instruments. Meanwhile, sequencing tracks like the five-minutes-plus of "Jai Ganga" promotes the LP's dynamics in line with the all-around sensitivity of the musicianship.

The strongly rhythmic likes of the latter number melt into the deceptively feathery lines conjured by Lloyd on flute during a haunting "Tagore." Insistent tabla playing from Hussian ensures that the two juxtaposed cuts continue in essentially the same vein, as does the roiling drumming of Harland; the interpolations of such passages promote the continuity of this record.

"Bharati's Dance, Tempo Divine" is a spotlight focused on Lloyd's alto sax playing and accordingly (not surprisingly), the number seems to conclude almost as soon as it starts. A more elaborate and intricate arrangement of "Eternal Dreamer," with the voice of Vijay Prakash makes for an effective contrast, even if the singing is a bit intrusive at certain points.

As that track also includes electric sitar by Niladri Kumar, Sangam & Friends lives up to its title. Winding down through the haunting likes of this cut at its conclusion and subsequently reaching a resting point of abiding tranquility, this underpinning of fluid motion captures the assembled participants marshalling their considerable resources with emphatic yet understated panache. 

It is a quiet yet dramatic denouement appropriate not only to the nuanced nature of this longplayer's concept(s), but also its authoritative execution.