Charles Lloyd Quartet for this “morning after”, in November – recorded at the 11th Festival de Jazz in Paris on October 26, 1990. Collaborating with Charles Lloyd are – Bobo Stenson, piano – Anders Jormin, bass and Auden Kleive, drums. It was broadcast live by Radio France on the Jazz Vivant program.
Charles Lloyd was given his first saxophone at the age of nine and was riveted by 1940s radio broadcasts by Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. His early teachers included pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr. and saxophonist Irvin Reason. His closest childhood friend was trumpeter Booker Little. As a teenager Lloyd played jazz with saxophonist George Coleman, Harold Mabern, and Frank Strozier, and was a sideman for blues artists Bobby “Blue” Bland, Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King, and R & B singer Johnny Ace.
In 1956, Lloyd left Memphis for Los Angeles to earn a degree in music at the University of Southern California, where he studied with Bartók specialist Halsey Stevens. At night, he played in jazz clubs with Ornette Coleman, Billy Higgins, Scott LaFaro, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy, Bobby Hutcherson and other leading west coast jazz artists. He also was a member of Gerald Wilson‘s big band.
Lloyd is given credit for anticipating world music by incorporating music from other cultures into his compositions, as early as the late 1950s. He describes his music as having “danced on many shores”. Peter Watrous stated, “Lloyd has come up with a strange and beautiful distillation of the American experience, part abandoned and wild, part immensely controlled and sophisticated.”
Despite recording several albums during the 1970s and occasionally appearing as a sideman, he practically disappeared from the jazz scene. While practicing Transcendental Meditation in the 1970s, Lloyd played extensively with The Beach Boys, both on their studio recordings and as a member of their touring band; several members of the group shared his affinity for the technique. Lloyd recorded at Brian Wilson‘s home studio during this period and has recalled that Brian and several other members of The Beach Boys performed on these recordings, some of which (e.g. “All Life Is One”) were included on Lloyd’s 1971 LP ‘Warm Waters’, and which also featured Quicksilver Messenger Service lead guitarist John Cipollina. Lloyd also was a member of Celebration, a band consisting of members of the Beach Boys’ touring band as well as Mike Love and Al Jardine. Celebration released two albums.
Lloyd returned to the jazz world in 1981 when he toured with Michel Petrucciani. British jazz critic Brian Case called Lloyd’s return “one of the events of the 1980s.” The group produced a special edition cassette, Night Blooming Jasmine, and two live records, Montreux 82 and A Night in Copenhagen, which also features Bobby McFerrin. After the tour, Lloyd again retreated to Big Sur.
Press Play – dive in and relax – got a big week coming up and you can use good vibes.
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