Remembering 2005's Best Live Local Jazz Performances.

Jim Harrington remembers Charles Lloyd's, Yoshi's, June 23 Show.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here. My belief is that jazz historians will one day look back at the career of Charles Lloyd, a player best known for his efforts in the 1960s, and proclaim that he did his finest work at the turn of new millennium. At least that's the way it sounded to these ears as the saxophonist mined his recent catalog at Yoshi's and found gold at every turn."

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Too Much Jazz Saxophone? Never.

"Charles Lloyd, Jumping the Creek (ECM)
Too much jazz saxophone? Never. Lloyd has been playing since before Coltrane died, and he's seen jazz trends (psychedelic jazz-soul?) come and go. But he's been refining his vision for the last decade or so, and it includes talented pianist Geri Allen, who ably bridges old-school melody and the avant-garde. The original compositions reference a combination of post-bop, minimalism, European chamber jazz, early music and folk music from different cultures. Nothing I've heard this year is as startlingly beautiful as this album's opener, a cover of Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas."

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Gems of 2005

Another 2005 Critic Favorite for Jumping the Creek. The Washington Post says:

"Though the music is sometimes meditative, if not downright dark, anyone looking for proof that Lloyd remains one of the most restlessly creative artists in jazz won't have to listen to this quartet session for long."

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