Charles Lloyd - Sangam - ECM - 2006

Freetoojazz · April-22nd-2006, 04:11 PM

Charles Lloyd w/ Zakir Hussain & Eric Harland - Sangam - ECM

I saw them last summer. This was a magical show! I'll never forget that. When i listen to this CD made a year before, i remember this wonderful night! The concert on CD and the one i saw are too different to be compare. I love both!

Hope you like this one, like i do!

Here some critics of it on:

All Music

All About Jazz

chaamba · April-23rd-2006, 03:27 PM

I was lucky enough to get a recording of a concert in Germany : wonderful indeed. Trane lives !

edpack · April-25th-2006, 12:45 AM

I have it too, and it's wonderful. I'm hoping to catch these guys at the JVC Jazz Festival in June.

jazzfiend · April-25th-2006, 05:23 PM

Fabulous live set, and beautiful recording. It's currently in my top 5 for 2006.

Squaredancecalling Steve · April-25th-2006, 06:37 PM

I saw the duo here in Healdsburg a couple of years ago, and they were indeed great. I'm going to look for this one.

They also appear together on another date, in a larger ensemble. Anybody know which album I mean? I've seen it on the shelves but haven't bit.

Darryl G. Thomas · May-3rd-2006, 05:13 PM

I've listened to this a few times over the last couple of days. Mr. Lloyd has crafted a wonderful musical journey. That's the way it felt to me. Not a series of numbers or compositions but a wonderful trek towards some beautiful destination.

Highly recommended. These guys are on to something special.

frankiepop · May-7th-2006, 08:44 AM

my 1st impressions is oh my this recording had to pass the ecm test that requires a far too often antiseptic sound and traditional chamber musical approach. while much of the cd turned out good and even some stellar tracks. much of the cd is a dud.

the cd is far too ecm safe, and i have heard so much more interesting music by not only by lloyd but especially zakir. i can imagine the concert being absolutely stunning, but i inevitably compare 'sangram' to the higgins duo, 'which way is east' that had a more free frolicking and risky nature that leads listeners to many surprises. i wasn't surprised on 'sangram,' except for the lack of chances taken here.

i also was a little put off by harland's drumming. his more percussive moments were complementary, but sometimes his drumming was overly western, punctuated, and ponderous that seemed to either dominate zakir's work or even interfere. 2 stars for me, this trio is capable of a lot more than this.

Squaredancecalling Steve · May-9th-2006, 02:12 PM

I tremble to say it but

I pretty much agree with frankiepop. This was somewhat disappointing, although there are some beautiful passages.

The album had none of the fiery energy of the Lloyd/ Hussain concert I saw, and it lacks the lively wit of Lloyd's work with Billy Higgins. I found the drumming duos uniformly boring and thought there was way too much time given to them.

BUT, I think Darryl is on to something in suggesting the album is not structured in a typical way. I'm glad I listened earlier this week to Calcutta Slide Guitar, because I think the eastern musical elements are key to hearing this album, and I'm not always receptive to eastern music. So I reserve the right to change my opinion after I've listened to it in a more sympathetic state of mind.

Although I doubt I'm going to change my opinion that they should have tossed about 15 minutes of the drumming.

Darryl G. Thomas · May-9th-2006, 03:24 PM

f.p., and s.s.,

I don't know y'all, the music kind of transported me and the contrasts in the percussionists styles really did the trick for me. It may have been the mood I was in but it's rare for these days to replay a CD over and again. Usually I listen then file away in the CD rack.

I guess this is one of the reasons I don't do as many recommendations as I did back in the Jazz Central days. Maybe I was more sure of myself then (or maybe I didn't know any better).

But the passages where Harland's intensity increased seemed almost perfect to me (timing wise), plus I liked the fact that Lloyd gave Hussain and Harland so much room. That might be problematic for those who figure Lloyd's the one I want to hear, but the group concept really appealled to me. And I didn't miss the bass. Usually in this type of setting (percussion and sax) I really need a bassist to keep my interest up. Not in this case.

Gary Sisco · May-10th-2006, 08:28 AM

I just ordered it. Darryl's jazz taste and mine very often overlap. If he digs it that much, I want it.

gonzo · May-11th-2006, 04:39 AM

i've been playing it alot and enjoying it more each time.

groover · May-11th-2006, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

I just ordered it. Darryl's jazz taste and mine very often overlap. If he digs it that much, I want it.

Same here, I'll report back after it arrives and I get a chance to listen to it.

Of course, I've also been a big fan of Charles since the mid-70's. The real tragedy is that his 1982 live album from Montreux has never made it to CD.

Montreux (1982)
Charles Lloyd Quartet

Review

by Scott Yanow

Charles Lloyd came out of isolation and retirement in 1982 due to the persuasion of the then-unknown pianist Michel Petrucciani. As can be heard on this concert LP from the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival, Lloyd's styles and sounds on tenor and flute were unchanged from his glory days in the 1960s. Petrucciani (at that point more influenced by Bill Evans than he would be) was already a monster, while bassist Palle Danielsson and drummer Son Ship Theus are stimulating in support. Lloyd performs three of his newer originals, Bill Evans' "Very Early," and a long remake of his famous hit "Forest Flower." Throughout, Charles Lloyd shows that he was still in his prime. This excellent music will hopefully be reissued on CD.

Squaredancecalling Steve · May-11th-2006, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by groover

Of course, I've also been a big fan of Charles since the mid-70's.

I've been fan since '67, and there wasn't nearly enough Charles Lloyd on this album for me.

groover · May-11th-2006, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Squaredancecalling Steve

I've been fan since '67, and there wasn't nearly enough Charles Lloyd on this album for me.

Well, then I guess I might not love it, either, but I'll give it a chance.

Gary Sisco · May-17th-2006, 09:38 AM

I've played it twice and dig it, as I usually do with Darryl's recs.

Darryl G. Thomas · May-17th-2006, 10:25 AM

Gary, I'm glad you liked it.

I've been listening to the CD a lot. One of the criticisms by one of the posters is legit, Lloyd doesn't really dominate the recording. He's the composer and it's obvious he really went for a group sound. So instead of the CHARLES LLOYD Trio you get the Charles Lloyd Trio. It's not like a Rollins recording where it's Sonny and his supporting cast.

I think I know where he's coming from. A sea of percussion with occassional woodwind commentary floating on top. Like I said, it's more of a journey than a concert.

Ron Thorne · May-19th-2006, 04:52 AM

Damn, but I'm having a difficult time with this recording.

I love Charles Lloyd, and have a specific memory from when his quartet replaced Country Joe & The Fish, along with the Steve Miller Band in Anchorage in the 70's, due to a promoter's gaff. It was our unexpected gift, though we also dug CJ and SM.

The abbreviated memory is that Patti and I approached Charles Lloyd after his intense, wonderful concert in Anchorage with a young, sleeping child in our arms, and he was not only interested, but when our son woke up, he spoke to him (and us) and was very cool.

Keith Jarrett had just left the band (sadly), but the remaining members, including keyboardist Tom Coster were stellar!

groover · May-19th-2006, 04:37 PM

Part of what's different about the Sangam trio is obviously the instrumentation. I wouldn't expect any horn player to solo continuously, even if he's the bandleader, but in more conventional settings, the other solos come from more melodic instruments, like piano and bass.

This set has unaccompanied solos from the tabla and drums, so it's sparser sounding than most jazz sets. Only drum solos are usually unaccompanied, but the tabla certainly benefits from the relative silence. I think it's very good, for what it is, but you have to be prepared for the unaccompanied solos that require attentive listening to reap the full benefit, and the overall sparser sound of a percussion heavy trio. However, there are moments in the percussive solos that are surprisingly melodic, like Hussain's brief "William Tell Overture" quote at the end of "Tales of Rumi".

Gary Sisco · May-20th-2006, 07:25 AM

There's some nice piano here and there on it, too.

Incredible drumming, though.

groover · May-20th-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Sisco

There's some nice piano here and there on it, too.

Incredible drumming, though.

Absolutely, the drumming is quite impressive, and I should have mentioned the occasional piano, which provides a bit more harmonic color. Both Eric Harland and Charles are credited as playing piano, and the use of several flutes and saxes lends about as much variety as you could ever hope for from a trio setting. I even found Zakir's vocal chant to be emotionally moving. Though I'm unfamiliar with his native tongue (Punjabi? Tamil? Hindi?), the feeling that came through resonated as sincere and timeless as a cantor's wail or a mullah's call.

I did enjoy this set, but I'd still love to see a digital remaster of the '82 Montreux concert, with Petrucciani on piano, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Son Ship Theus on drums Those guys were no slouches, either. I may eventually hook up my trusty old B&O to my computer and do it myself from my vinyl copy.

Lois Gilbert · February-1st-2007, 01:53 PM