Water Is Wide

Charles Lloyd | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2000)
• Original Release Date: August 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B00004VXEZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,964 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No description available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Rating:
Release Date: 0000-00-00
Media Type: Compact Disk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Symbiotic and Sublime, December 11, 2001

By 

JD Cetola (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Water Is Wide (Audio CD)

Charles Lloyd's superb 1999 recording (the first of two releases from these December 1999 sessions, the other, "Hyperion with Higgins" is equally engaging) includes an all-star cast and is simply sensational. Joined by the excellent Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on double-bass, John Abercrombie on guitar, and the late, great Billy Higgins on drums, Lloyd and company pour out their hearts and souls to deliver some of the most beautiful music from a quintet of this kind you will ever hear.

Beginning with a gorgeous rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia", the listener immediately knows what to expect from this album--sparse, melodic beauty. And it's captivating and engaging from start to finish. "The Water is Wide" is poetic and moving with Abercrombie offering just the right notes at the right time. Lloyd is inspired throughout and Mehldau's playing is typically melodic. Higgins keeps things moving and Grenadier is as steady as ever. The Ellington ("Black Butterfly" and "Heaven") and Strayhorn ("Lotus Blossom") tunes are highlights as is the haunting Lloyd/Mehldau sparing match in "The Monk and the Mermaid". In fact, the entire disc is essentially one highlight after another with no missteps to be found. Abercrombie is particularly engaging when he appears ("Figure in Blue", a Lloyd original is terrific), Lloyd's playing is trance-inducing, and these players seem to revel in the making of these inspired, often-spiritual melodies. By the time you get to the closing hymn, "Prayer", you will be praying for more music of this ethereal beauty. And thankfully, "Hyperion with Higgins" is sitting right beside "The Water is Wide" on the cd shelf.

"The Water is Wide" is one of the most sublime and stunningly beautiful cds I have heard in recent years. These musicians represent several generations of jazz mastery and together have made of cd worthy of their stature. Very Highly Recommended.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another fine outing., August 31, 2000

By 

Richard Thurston (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Water Is Wide (Audio CD)

The good news is that this is only the first of two planned recordings (according to ECM Records) culled from what were some remarkable sessions recorded in Los Angeles during December of 1999.

Continuing along with guitarist John Abercrombie and the one and only Billy Higgins on drums (both contributed mightily to last year's wonderful 'Voice in the Night'), this outing also includes Larry Grenadier on bass and (my personal favorite among the younger pianists) Brad Mehldau.

This recording maintains the high level of Lloyd's 1990's ECM recordings and underscores Lloyd's standing as one of the handful of really original stylists working in music. Utterly recognizable from the get go, Lloyd possesses a lovely, burnished sound, soulful to be sure.

Grenadier is (as always) dead on. Abercrombie plays beautifully throughout and his solo on 'The Water is Wide' is worth the price of the CD itself. Mehldau seems a natural for this music. Possessed of a remarkable touch and a maturity which belies his relative youth, Mehldau, like Lloyd is adept at creating atmosphere. Surrounding his notes with a great deal of space, his playing is very much from the 'less is more' school.

But finally this CD really serves to highlight the musicianship and spirit of Billy Higgins. Few musicians can do more with less than Higgins. With the slightest of gestures Higgins provides a flowing and elegant pulse to the proceedings; subtle and seemingly effortless. The sort of understatement only a real master can provide.

I had the good fortune to hear Lloyd and Higgins perform a series of duets a couple of years ago and what an astonishing evening of music that was. Until that combination makes it onto CD this will do nicely.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars H20 For The Soul, August 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Water Is Wide (Audio CD)

One of the most original minds in jazz teams with master drummer Billy Higgins (an old friend & collaborator) and two men half their age -- Brad Mehldau and Larry Grenadier. And if that's not enough to float your boat, John Abercrombie's on board too.

Lloyd's known as a prolific composer but here the tenor saxophonist plays a lot of other people's ballads, covering Hoagie Carmichael's "Georgia" a whole lot of Ellington and the celtic folk song "The Water Is Wide." Even when he's covering, he sounds like only Lloyd can -- tuned into something deep and wild and joyful.