Though Miles Davis eventually took jazz stardom to another level, Charles Lloyd was the first jazz rock star. His mid-to-late-60′s quartet is not the most musically influential group of the period, yet it was the first group to regularly play clubs like the Fillmore in San Francisco and open up for groups like The Grateful Dead. Their success was jump-started by the breakout '66 live record Forest Flower [recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival] and was sustained by steady international touring. Listening to Soundtrack, the hippie connection should come as no surprise; the open-ended jams are often based in loose rock rhythms that occasionally drift into mellow improvisational territory not too far removed from the sensibilities of The Dead and other like-minded early psychedelic rock
Today, the most notable aspect of the quartet is not what it was, but what it became. Namely, it was the foundation of the Keith Jarrett / Jack DeJohnette collaboration that continued as part of Miles Davis’s post-Bitches Brew electric band and that still exists today in the form of Jarrett’s nearly three decade old Standards Trio. That’s not to say the quartet hasn’t had any influence, as groups like Medeski Martin & Wood seem to have used Lloyd’s band sound as a primary influence on their own take on the gray area between jazz, rock, and world music. However, Lloyd is rarely recognized in the pantheon of great saxophone players and is no stranger to the slings and arrows of fellow musicians, including this particularly harsh slight from Miles Davis:
“A lot of things were changing in music around 1967 and 1968 and a lot of new shit was happening. One of them was the music of Charles Lloyd, who had become very popular. When his band was really happening he had Jack DeJohnette and a young piano player named Keith Jarrett. He was the leader, but it was those two guys who were making the music really happen. They were playing a cross between jazz and rock, very rhythmic music. Charles never was any kind of player, but he had a certain sound on the saxophone that was kind of light and floating and worked with what Keith and Jack were putting under and around it. His music was very popular for a couple of years and so a lot of people started paying attention. Our two groups shared a bill at the Village Gate at the end of 1967 or early 1968. Man, the place was packed. I knew Jack from when he filled in for Tony, and when Charles’s group was in town I would go over and listen. He started accusing me of trying to steal his musicians from him. Charles didn’t stay around for too long but made a lot of money during the time he was hot. I hear he’s rich and selling real estate today, so more power to him.”
Miles at once recognizes Lloyd’s group as an influence on his future direction and simultaneously dismisses him as an important player. Truth be told, some of the most exciting moments of Soundtrack are when Lloyd is not playing – the trio seems to dig in further as the soloing builds to high peaks with some occasionally near-unbelievable percussive fury by DeJohnnette. Sometimes Lloyd’s solos slowly peter out instead of building to a climax, but they are always steeped in deep emotion and unwavering lyricism. His tone is rich and he has the audience hanging on his every note throughout the entire record. Which is a hell of a lot more than most jazz musicians today can say for themselves. I think that Lloyd’s ECM output of the past 20 years renders moot any discussion about his greatness and solidifies his reputation as an Important Figure in jazz. But hey, that’s just me. Whatever your opinion on this, it's pretty hard to dislike this record:
Charles Lloyd - Soundtrack
No comments:
Post a Comment