Customer Reviews

Hyperion With Higgins

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would have to disagree with the first review here, as to Lloyd being less melodic on this disc. Overall, it is less balladic, but less melodic? I'm afraid not! I highly recommend this recording which starts with a lilting ballad 'Big Sur to Bahia' (is this dedicated to Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil?) and makes a perfect segue out of the sister disc, The Water Is Wide.The next 3 songs build to the swinging title track which starts with an uptempo duo between Lloyd and Higgins. As is indicated with the cover art, this is the flip side of the recording session,and I think it is imperative to listen to both. The photos in the booklet of Hyperion tell a wonderful story as well.

Long time Lloyd fans (ECM and Atlantic) will find some old friends, 'Bharati' which we first heard on Fish Out of Water, and 'Miss Jessye'(which has become a standard in Lloyd's live performances) can be heard on Notes from Big Sur. Both new renditions are superb. I keep reading references and comparisons to Coltrane, but to my ears they have such different and distinctive sounds - the closest in appraoch is probably on 'Miss Jessye.' As on Water, the quality of sound is excellent and Lloyd's tone is warm and beautiful! Then, going back to one of my early favorite LPs, Dream Weaver - we hear 'Dervish Dance' retitled into the wonderful dancing 'Dervish On the Glory B.'

Typical of Lloyd recordings, he takes us on a journey and Hyperion is no exception. 'Darkness On the Delta Suite' is a major sub-journey... it is transforming. Abercrombie is amazing on this recording. Unlike Water, where we hear him on only a few but important tracks, here he is an incredible voice on almost all of the tracks - I especially love his playing on 'Darkness On the Delta.' Grenadier is heard more prominently throughout and is earthy and soulful. Mehldau sounds great as well. It is bitter sweet to realize that Higgins is no longer with us. We can hear him stirring the pots, adding special ingredients and flavors as only he can do, swinging all the while. It is not hard to imagine his beautiful smile. I am taking up a lot of space with my opinion, so I will end by saying that the last piece is a fitting end to this particular journey. 'The Caravan Moves On' has Lloyd playing the woody taragato, Higgins adds a tribal sounding percussion - it is poignant and haunting. These men are the music.

I will get right down to the bottom:
This is one of the greatest recordings I know of. I owned Lloyd's "The water is wide" prior to this one and I was blown away especially by pieces such as "Georgia", "The water is wide" and "Prayer" (these are on "The water is wide" CD). This CD ("Hyperion with Higgins") continues the connection I have with the mentioned songs from "The water is wide" with every piece.
I honestly love each and every piece of this CD. What a genius in composing Charles Lloyd is. This CD truely proves it.
The musicians could not be a better match. Mehldau's piano goes underneath the skin and Abercrombie's guitar...if you know "Prayer" from "The water is wide", you know what I mean (no words necessary).
Then there is Larry Grenadier, who shows how to introduce a piece in "Bharati". If you have a decent sound system you will appreciate the great quality of this recording (I can hear Grenadier breathing).
Did I mention I like this CD? I listened to it a lot of times and every time I feel how the musicians enjoy playing with rythm and emotion.
Billy Higgins is a great drummer. It's sad that he passed away. It's great that he left us with his work as it is recorded on this CD.
This CD ranks very very high on my list. *****

It's not as accessible as either The Water Is Wide or Voice in the Night, but there's some fine music on this, Higgins' last hurrah. Really an essential CD for anyone who admires these fine artists--who're generally at the top of their form--as well as the exceptional sidemen Abercrombie, Mehldau, and Grenadier, who's becoming one of the most in-demand young bassists. There's almost a jamming feel to much of this music, but that's OK because they're all such fine listeners and players. You might want to take a pass if you're expecting the more melodic side of Lloyd, although there's plenty of melody, but all others will want to have this transcendent disc.

This is a great recording - and should be on any music lovers "must have" list. I was really surprised that it wasn't nominated for a grammy, especially when The Water Is Wide was overlooked last year. But given the fact that this is one of Billy Higgins last known recordings - it should be more than enough reason to get it. To hear these two Masters (Lloyd and Higgins) at work is unparalled. When you add in Grenadier, Abercrombie and Mehldau, the result
is a sublime mix of ballads, blues, and beyond. It continues to amaze me that Lloyd is so overlooked in the USA. This recording also has great sound - Lloyd is a sensitive ( but not twee) and is an artist in the true sense of the word. He is definitely a contender and it rarely gets better than this. Don't hesitate, go get it now!

Please let me go directly into the music played in this CD forgetting the tribute and homage value of the recording. The quality of the compositions, its execution and arrangements are excellent. Very comforting to listen to a production of this nature in today's jazz scene, where there are is too many stravaganza on one hand and too many boring repetitive sounds on the other. This work is a perfect balance between group playing, improvising, and soloing privileging the melodic sound. You will find that the high melodic quality is in the music scales and the mood of the compositions and not in the playing of ballads or standard type material. The music is in the "soft" side of the jazz spectrum, but far from being boring, unchallenging, or slow to develop. The group allows improvisation when necessary and does not engage in it by obligation (that's taste). Brad Mehldau's piano playing has an important role in the sound of the group -which is great if you are into piano jazz trios, while Lloyd's sax is inspiring and intelligent adding a spiritual flavor when the the rest of the intruments need refreshing. Guitarist John Abercrombie is great in both soloing and in the rhythm section. Larry Grenadier's bass is always present though out the tunes providing a solid base, while drummer Billy Higgins -who passed away in may 2001 and is honored in this very important jazz release- plays a great variety o rhythms creating different ambiences with delicate touch. When you read the notes in the CD you will find out about the love and admiration felt for Higgins by the other musicians, and the decision to release this material recorded in 1999. In summary this recording is one of the jazz highlights of the year.

This tribute to the great drummer Billy Higgins is perhaps the most notable meeting between the pioneers and young lions of modern jazz: the venerable Charles Lloyd, Billy Higgins and John Abercrombie meeting Brad Mehldau and Larry Grenadier.

Mehldau and Grenadier's playful harmonic progressions - unrooted and effortlessly flowing - perfectly matches Lloyd and Abercrombie's chordless sensibilities and Higgins' witty drumming. The players play off each other without restraining each other's improvisations and companions.

The compositions are brilliant throughout, except for the difficult "Darkness on the Delta Suite". The last track "The Caravan Moves On" showcases Abercrombie's strangely fluid lines and Lloyd's deeply intense solos. The opening track "Dancing Waters" starts off with Mehldau's piano playing, setting the perfect background to the rest of the CD: introspective, intense, dark, yet brilliant.

This is the companion set to The Water Is Wide and was recorded at the same sessions; Lloyd dedicated it to session participant Billy Higgins after the drummer passed away in May 2001. Hyperion focuses on lengthier pieces, allowing plenty of blowing space for the members of the group. John Abercrombie, who popped up sporadically on the Water Is Wide, plays a lot here. Lloyd's companions certainly rise to the occasion (especially Mehldau), but the saxophonist himself is somewhat disappointing. For whatever reason, his playing here sounds really thin and weak (compare it to the richness on Canto or Voice in the Night).

Nevertheless, there is some really gorgeous, inward-looking music here (especially the first two tunes) and fans of Lloyd's other ECM albums will definitely enjoy it.

This undertaking has wonderful musicians who take a restrained approach. Charles Lloyd has blues roots at his core rarified by his enormous exposure including Coltrane. This crew takes a cerebral approach that still manages to evoke a sense of playfulness and swing.

No, Charles Lloyd has not taken to playing with the fake-Brit-accented Higgins from Magnum P.I.--the title of this CD refers instead to the late drummer Billy Higgins, a veteran of something like 600 recordings, and a musician with whom Lloyd felt a strong and special spiritual and musical bond. The music on this CD was recorded in the same sessions that produced Lloyd's previous ECM recording, The Water is Wide. The musicians backing Lloyd include two-thirds of the Brad Mehldau Trio (Mehldau on piano and Larry Grenadier on bass), guitarist John Abercrombie, and Higgins on drums and percussion. In general, the music is a bit more bright and sprightly than that on The Water is Wide, and this time out, all of the compositions are by Lloyd.

Those who have followed Lloyd will be familiar with the way he blends playfulness and seriousness in his playing. His sound seems to float without a care, yet everything sounds deeply grounded. Mehldau's playing has something of a similar quality; perhaps this is the reason that Lloyd sought him out for these sessions. The only thing that does not quite work is Abercrombie's guitar. He is an excellent guitarist, but somehow he always sounds a bit out of place when trying to blend in with Lloyd and Mehldau. It is not as though he really brings things down, but he does not lift them up, and in general, the music flows better when he lays out.

While not quite at the stellar level of some of Lloyd's earlier work for ECM, this is still a wonderful recording for jazz fans to treasure. Also is to be treasured is the thought of old masters such as Lloyd and Higgins working with and passing their secrets along to young masters such as Mehldau and Grenadier.

This is a great recording - and should be on any music lovers "must have" list. I was really surprised that it wasn't nominated for a grammy, especially when The Water Is Wide was overlooked last year. But given the fact that this is one of Billy Higgins last known recordings - it should be more than enough reason to get it. To hear these two Masters (Lloyd and Higgins) at work is unparalled. When you add in Grenadier, Abercrombie and Mehldau, the result
is a sublime mix of ballads, blues, and beyond. It continues to amaze me that Lloyd is so overlooked in the USA. This recording also has great sound - Lloyd is a sensitive ( but not twee) and is an artist in the true sense of the word. He is definitely a contender and it rarely gets better than this. Don't hesitate, go get it now!