Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Lloyd was once not only one of jazz’s most popular artists, but he achieved mainstream stardom back in the 60s. His 1966 album, Forest Flower (Atlantic)—cut with the powerhouse quartet of drummer Jack DeJohnette (who gave a remarkable performance last night in Millennium Park), pianist Keith Jarrett, and bassist Cecil McBee, all musicians largely introduced to the world by Lloyd—was a platinum seller, and he was a frequent draw at rock venues like the legendary Fillmore West. Three years later, in 1969, Lloyd dropped out of the jazz biz, retreating to a home in Big Sur, where he practiced meditation and studied Eastern spirituality. He played a bit in the early 80s with the French pianist Michel Petrucciani, but it wasn’t until 1989 that Lloyd returned to music full-time, adapting the heightened restraint dominant in his music ever since. Earlier this year ECM Records released a handy, rewarding five-CD box called Quartets, which collects the first five albums he made after his comeback, each of them featuring the remarkable Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson.
[audio-1]
