Recorded days before Lloyd’s new quartet debuted in the UK, this live album documents the saxophonist’s most sympathetic group since his early days with Jarrett, Ron McClure and Jack DeJohnette. Indeed, there are remarkable similarities between that band and this in the way that Lloyd gives his sideman huge amounts of space and in the way he uses them to build and release tension. There is not a wasted second over these 75 minutes.

Moran plays better than I have ever heard him and has become the player everyone said he would. Rogers is a revelation, truly relishing the freedom Lloyd gives him, while Harland is one of the most musical drummers to appear in a long time. And this is a powerful and varied set, with the post bop-into-abstraction of ‘Prometheus’ moving smoothly into the near waltz of ‘Migration of Spirit’ and stretching into the edgy ‘La Colline de Monk’. Two numbers – ‘Sweet Georgia Bright’ and tender ‘Rabo de Nube’ – have featured on other Lloyd albums. 

Otherwise this is entirely new material, clearly shaped for the talents of his young players. Lloyd is magisterial whether on tenor on ‘Prometheus’ or mysterious playing tarogato on ‘Ramanujan’. But it’s his tribute to Memphis childhood friend, trumpeter Booker Little – ‘Booker’s Garden’ with some typical wayward flute – that steals the show.

Duncan Heining

This review is from Jazzwise Issue #119 to our full section and receive a Free CD Subscribe Here...