Manhattan Stories

Description

Resonance Records is releasing a double LP Gatefold 180G featuring two previously unreleased concerts by Charles Lloyd recorded in 1965 at Judson Hall and Slugs in New York, two venues that are now gone. This is an event, as there has been no recording of the saxophonist's quartet prior to the famous one with Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee, and Jack DeJohnette, which would make headlines between March 1966 ("Dream Weaver") and November 1968 ("Soundtrack"). The lineup is remarkable: Gábor Szabó on guitar, Ron Carter on double bass, and Pete La Roca on drums. The original tapes have been remastered by sound wizard Bernie Grundman. In 1965, Charles Lloyd had left Chico Hamilton's band where he had met Gábor Szabó. The saxophonist already had two albums to his name, released by Columbia. In May 1964, he recorded "Discovery!" in a quartet with Don Friedman (piano), Eddie Khan or Richard Davis (double bass), and Roy Haynes or J.C. Moses (drums). And in March 1965, "Of Course, Of Course" with Gábor Szabó (guitar), Ron Carter (double bass), and Tony Williams (drums). Gábor Szabó would soon record for the Impulse label; Ron Carter was playing in Miles Davis's quintet; and Pete La Roca alternated performances alongside John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Sonny Rollins, and Joe Henderson… "It was a very special time," Charles Lloyd recalls. "All the boundaries were breaking down. It was music in love with freedom and desire. We were young and wanted the world to move with us." These two concerts showcase a particularly intense interaction between the musicians, especially between the saxophonist and the guitarist. It is a precise foretaste of the telepathy that would occur a year later with Jarrett, McBee, and DeJohnette. The one from Judson Hall, on September 3, 1965, comes from the archives of George Klabin, the founder of Resonance Records. He was 19 at the time and was in charge of jazz on WKCR radio at Columbia University. He recorded the concert himself to offer original music on his show. The recording from Slugs, the same year, was made by Bjorn von Schlebrugge, who always accompanied Lloyd during his New York concerts. Charles Lloyd had it at home and brought it out to Zev Feldman from Resonance when he came to California to play him the restored tapes from Judson Hall. The idea of bringing them together into a double CD and now a double LP seemed obvious.