From Paul de Barros’ column today in The Seattle Times:
Many jazz fans dismiss saxophonist and flutist Charles Lloyd as a poseur, a “Coltrane lite” flower child who capitalized on an aura of spiritualism when it was fashionable in the ’60s but never acquired the chops or individuality of the master he was imitating.
In some ways these people have it right. Lloyd can definitely sound like a noodler, and he uses a number of Coltrane gestures. There is the metallically shimmering cry on tenor, the Middle Eastern exoticism on taragato (a Hungarian double reed) that mimics Trane’s keening soprano saxophone and the habit of running up to an accented melody note with a dramatic flourish. There’s also a lot of Eric Dolphy in Lloyd’s flute playing, particularly his sudden flurries and use of odd intervals.
But Lloyd’s quartet connects with audiences in a way that somehow makes such purist objections seem merely petulant. His upcoming appearance in Seattle with a new quartet featuring pianist Jason Moran, bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland, courtesy of Earshot Jazz, is most welcome. Lloyd’s quartet performs Monday at the Triple Door.
Continue reading at The Seattle Times.