Charles Lloyd is an 87 year old tenor saxophonist & flautist from Memphis, Tennessee with over 2 dozen full-lengths under his belt already since the late 50s. He has spent the last decade with my favorite jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records dropping exemplary late career material that includes I Long to See You as well as Tone Poem & The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow. However, he’s following up the latter with his 32nd full-length comprised of 2 discs containing 7 songs each.
“Abide with Me” begins with this calming intro working in a saxophone & Jason Moran playing piano whereas “Hina Hanta, The Way of Peace” moves forward by delivering a nearly 8 minute post-bop composition keeping the keys & sax in tact. “Figure in Blue, Memories of Duke” remembers the late Duke Ellington letting Jason shine more instrumentally just before “Desolation Sound” lets Charles take the spotlight with his saxophone once more.
Meanwhile on “Ruminations”, we have guitarist Marvin Sewell accompanying Charles Lloyd & Jason Moran for 10 & a half more minutes of peacefully improvisational post-bop leading into “Chulahoma” focusing more around the saxophone & guitar. Reaching the halfway point, “Song My Lady Sings” brings all 3 instrumentalists together for a serene 8 & a half minute post-bop jam while “The Ghost of Lady Day” starts the 2nd act with a Billie Holiday rendition.
“Blues for Langston” gives his flowers to the late Langston Hughes” until we’re treated to a couplet of Duke Ellington covers: “Heaven” & “Black Butterfly”. The song “Ancient Rain” takes up 111 seconds with a tenor saxophone while “Hymn to the Mother, for Zakir” takes a moment to remember the late Zakir Hussain. The closer “Somewhere” finishes Figure in Blue with Charles & Jason playing piano & tenor sax for the LP’s final 4 & a half minutes.
Spaciously travels wide expanses of musical terrain from beautiful ballads to raw Delta blues, the 4th full-length Charles Lloyd has created since signing to Blue Note Records could be the most heartfelt entry in his entire discography reflecting everything that’s defined his entire life. Combining original & re-recorded material for an autumnal double album, he salutes those who inspired him over 6 decades ago with an hour & a half long memoir.
Score: 3.5/5
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