Rabo de Nube (Live)

In the 1960s, Charles Lloyd led a popular quartet whose Coltrane-influenced sound appealed to rock audiences as well as to jazz fans. (One of his most successful albums was Forest Flower, a live outing recorded at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Festival.) More than forty years later, Lloyd is still leading excellent bands and still playing great live sets, as is evidenced on the 2008 release, Rabo de Nube. Recorded in Basel in 2007, the album finds Lloyd leading a quartet comprised of pianist Jason Moran, bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland. The album features six originals — including the Lloyd classic “Sweet Georgia Bright”— and a cover of “Rabo de Nube,” which was written by the Cuban singer/songwriter Silvio Rodriguez. Lloyd is as impressive as ever on tenor saxophone and flute, and he also plays tarogato, a Hungarian wind instrument, on “Ramanujan.” Moran is extraordinary throughout: the pianist stands out whether he is making placid statements or spinning out elaborate solos.