Charles Lloyd & the Marvels - I Long to See You: folky, funky, almost childlike

I Long to See You
    
Artist: Charles Lloyd & the Marvels
Genre: Jazz
Label: Blue Note

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd’s groundbreaking groups in the 1960s brought post-Coltrane improv to rock audiences, but behind the catchy tunes and danceable grooves, there was always a wayward, independent streak in Lloyd that connected with something deeper in US music.

His second album for Blue Note drills down into that same motherlode: folky, funky, at times almost childlike in its simplicity, but with a spirituality that invests iconic tunes such as Shenandoah, Abide with Me and Dylan’s Masters of War, with the glow of inner conviction.

Guitarist Bill Frisell’s bell-like sound bathes the loose, organic grooves in honeyed, country-tinged harmonies, Willie Nelson and Norah Jones contribute vocals, and above it all, imperturbable and laconic, is the great saxophonist, bluenote.com.

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a musician, writer and director