Charles LloydHyperion with HigginsReview

Recorded at the same sessions as Charles Lloyd's The Water Is Wide, no doubt in time this will come to be seen as a memorial to the veteran drummer Billy Higgins, who sadly died before the album was released.

Tenor player Lloyd may have his name on the cover, yet this is a group of musicians (all leaders in their own right) who are very much attuned to each other, adding significantly to the cohesive feel throughout. But with each successive playing it is hard not to let the ears become increasingly drawn to the taste and unique swing of the percussion master. The lovely sound Higgins conjures up on "Dancing Waters, Big Sur To Bahia" (dedicated to Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso) should come as no surprise as one of his talents was that as a singer and guitarist (in private) of Brazilian song.

Nowhere is there a sense of grandstanding from any of the musicians; themes tend to unfold rather than be stated, making the longer pieces feel much shorter than they actually are. Lloyd is that rarity, a player who can evoke the ghost of John Coltrane whilst remaining true to himself due to the warmth of a voice that is hard won. Having said that "Miss Jessye" does float on a mid 60's Coltrane-like groove with guitarist John Abercrombie stepping out of the shadows to dig in with some bluesy licks, after which pianist of the moment Brad Mehldau shifts the mood into a different direction.

"Hyperion with Higgins" opens with a short tenor and drums duet before being joined by the galloping swing of bassist Larry Grenadier until Mehldau decides to run with the baton. Abercrombie has become (almost like ECM itself) the epitome of taste and sensitivity. He stretches out on "Darkness on the Delta Suite", going through a kaleidoscope of feelings and moods gently steered by the cunning and verve of Higgins' drums.

Lloyd forsakes the tenor for the taragato on "The Caravan Moves On", its woody sound blending perfectly with the middle eastern aura. The mournful close is a reminder that Higgins has now moved on, leaving the Jazz world a sadder place.