Charles Lloyd

Arrows Into Infinity (ECM)

Toward the end of this beautifully rendered documentary, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, 76, describes his current New Quartet. “This is a magic formation. We get on this magic carpet and take off. It’s the wisdom of the ancients with modernity. It’s arrows into infinity.” That applies to most of his musical endeavors over six decades. Produced and directed by his wife Dorothy Darr and filmmaker Jeffery Morse, this labor of love traces Lloyd’s longevity beginning in his native Memphis as a sideman to Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King through his early NYC days with Chico Hamilton and Cannonball Adderley. As a leader, huge success in the late Sixties resulted in his then “dropping out” for the next decade to live in seclusion in Big Sur. He returned to touring the next decade and his current 25-year succession of gorgeous, deeply spiritual ensembles resides on ECM Records. Loads of live footage and a cavalcade of talking heads including Herbie Hancock, Robbie Robertson, Jack DeJohnette, and ECM founder Manfred Eicher flesh out an award-winning portrait of a singular artist.

This article appears in December 19 • 2014.

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