catesta Posted February 16, 2006 Report Posted February 16, 2006 I did a board search and found limited input on Lloyd. He doesn't appear to be very popular. I never really gave him much thought but I heard some sample tracks off "Jump the Creek" while at Tower yesterday and it sounded pretty good to me. Any opinions or recommendations? Quote
JSngry Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Of Course, Of Course & Dream Weaver are good ones from the old days when he was somewhat of a "jazz star", even if he's in constant danger of being outplayed by his band on both. Personally, I think he's playing better now. The ECMs that I've heard are all of a piece. I really like Lift Every Voice myself. Quote
Alexander Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 I've only heard his most recent albums (as in from the last three years or so), but everything I've heard I like!! from me. Quote
Alexander Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Of Course, Of Course & Dream Weaver are good ones from the old days when he was somewhat of a "jazz star", even if he's in constant danger of being outplayed by his band on both. Personally, I think he's playing better now. The ECMs that I've heard are all of a piece. I really like Lift Every Voice myself. "Lift Every Voice" was the first one I got. I agree, it's great stuff. Lloyd is clearly a Coltrane disciple, but hardly an imitator... Quote
Sundog Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 I'm just getting into him myself. This one's a really good one from back in the day... Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Easy on the ears, easy on the eyes, goes down as smooth as fish oil but does not ultimately effect you in any way. Absolutely nothing wrong with him but nothing "really" right either. I'd buy reissues of the 2 Columbia dates (partially for nostalgia) and be satisfied by whatever else I hear on the radio. YMMV. Quote
catesta Posted February 17, 2006 Author Report Posted February 17, 2006 Charles Lloyd Corner I'll be damned. I thought I did a complete search. A post in 06 to boot. Thank you kind sir. Quote
JSngry Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 (edited) Well, the first few Atlantic albums - and the Llpyd quartet in general - were really popular back in the day, especially Forest Flower, which was a bona fide hit (and not a bad album either, although Dream Weaver is much meatier, I think), and they're good (hell, with Jarrett, DeJohnette, & either Cecil McBee or Ron McClure, how could they not be?), but the band soon devolved into sort of a jazz version of the Sensitive Soul type thing, which is not much to my liking. What's "wrong" with Keith Jarrett (and don't misunderstand me, there's plenty that's right) has it's roots in the Lloyd band of the late '60s, I believe. Too much of the putting the wounded soul on display for the purpose of selling it through sympathy, I think. But Lloyd has always had one of the most gorgeous tenor tones imaginable, limpid yet not limp. and very vocal in its core quality. It's a sound that you could pimp like a mofo to get over with the wounded soul crowd, which is what I think he did quite a bit during his days of "stardom". But now that he's older and wiser, I think he's able to speak more substantially in that same voice. That first quartet was the benefactor of a huge amount of backing by Geoge Avakian, and personally, I think that Lloyd might have developed better and/or sooner without it. His work with both Chico Hamilton and Cannonball Adderley shows a lot of promise - a unique voice and perspective, and that same beautiful tone. but the guy got famous pretty quick, and for somebody who already had a bit of the "hurt child" in him (there's an interview from the mid-60s somewhere done by somebody that reads more like the petulant whinings of an Important 1960s Rock Star than it does a Memphis tenor player), I don't think that was good for him or his music, all things considered. The quality of the records went downhill pretty quickly, although there's good moments on all of them (especially In The Soviet Union), but it seemed that Lloyd had other "issues", which he resolved by getting rich in real estate and going off into the world of TM. When he finally "reappeared" in the 80s, he was still a little shakey, but by the time he started doing the ECM sides, I think he had finally "put all the pieces together" and was finally able to combine the vulnerability/hurt/whatever with the mature perspective ("toughness"?) needed to play fully "adult" music. Throughout it all, though, there's been that tone, and what a tone it is! Edited February 17, 2006 by JSngry Quote
GregK Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Easy on the ears, easy on the eyes, goes down as smooth as fish oil but does not ultimately effect you in any way. Absolutely nothing wrong with him but nothing "really" right either. I'd buy reissues of the 2 Columbia dates (partially for nostalgia) and be satisfied by whatever else I hear on the radio. YMMV. you hear him on the radio?? Quote
GregK Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 I did a board search and found limited input on Lloyd. He doesn't appear to be very popular. I never really gave him much thought but I heard some sample tracks off "Jump the Creek" while at Tower yesterday and it sounded pretty good to me. Any opinions or recommendations? Jumping the Creek is the best of the ECMs that I have heard (which is everything from Voice in the Night on) Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 you hear him on the radio?? Yup. Maybe you should move over here. Quote
Guest akanalog Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 i haven't heard the album, if it is out yet, but i heard some live stuff with a trio of lloyd and eric harland i think and zakir hussain i think and it was pretty good stuff. different than what he has been up to previously on his ECMs outisde of that duet one with higgins, but some variety would be nice anyway. Quote
catesta Posted February 17, 2006 Author Report Posted February 17, 2006 you hear him on the radio?? Yup. Maybe you should move over here. But, you guys live in the land of rude plow truck operators. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 But, you guys live in the land of rude plow truck operators. That's Ann's problem. I just stay back. Quote
Larry Kart Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 For what it's worth, Dan Morgenstern once told me that back in Lloyd's heyday, Dan had gone to Lloyd's hotel or motel room to do an interview with him. Lloyd answered the door and told Dan that it was too bad he hadn't come by a few minutes sooner because at that time he (i.e. Lloyd) had been levitating. Dan inquired further and determined to his satisfaction that Lloyd meant he said quite literally -- that it was not, for instance, a reference to the use of controlled or uncontrolled substances. In fact, as I recall, Dan asked Lloyd just how far off the ground he had been hovering, and Lloyd gave him a specific figure -- something fairly modest, I think, like six inches. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 It's a shame Dan missed that. Quote
JSngry Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Hell, a couple of bean burritos and I can do seven inches, no problem. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Hell, a couple of bean burritos and I can do seven inches, no problem. Can you keep your back straight? I can't. OR do you do it "upright"? Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 I just go with the flow... That was Mr Lloyd's m.o. Not to be confused with Haley's. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 Comet is a helluva laxative. Not sure if they are the folks with "scrubbing bubbles". OUCH! Quote
Larry Kart Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 As I recall, Lloyd explained to Dan that he indeed had been upright, i.e. "standing" some six inches above the floor. Add a burrito and he might have been flying. Quote
JSngry Posted February 17, 2006 Report Posted February 17, 2006 I scrubbed Bubbles once. But her husband found out and I had to leave town in a hurry. Bitch took all my Charles Lloyd sides, too. Quote
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