''Hyperion with Higgins'' is an album by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist Charles Lloyd recorded in December 1999 by Lloyd with

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...

, John Abercrombie,

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...

and

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, be ...

. The album is a dedication to Higgins who died in May 2001. Additional tracks recorded at these sessions were released as '' The Water Is Wide'' in 2000.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by David R. Adler awarded the album 4 stars calling it an "exceptionally focused, all-original statement from Charles Lloyd".Adler, D. R.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed January 25, 2010. The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Nils Jacobson stated "The tunes on Hyperion tend to reflect a warm, spiritual energy, though the pulse fairly leaps out in places... It's a beautifully spiritual record, led by a visionary who has cultivated and expanded his own voice for over two decades—and stitched together by a cast of extremely talented and sympathetic characters. Higgins's work here deserves special note; but then again, he always was head and shoulders above his peers. The high drama of Hyperion offers a wide range of emotional intensity. This disc is a must-listen if you liked ''Water is Wide''. Highly recommended!". In another review for the same website Mark Corroto stated "Lloyd’s sound just seems to get better with each session. He neither strains nor sweats here laying down graceful passages... Like Coltrane, Lloyd utilizes passion within the confines of his own lyricism. This is a wondrous session".Corroto, M
''Hyperion with Higgins'' review
''All about Jazz'', September 1, 2000

Track listing

:''All compositions by Charles Lloyd'' # "Dancing Waters, Big Sur to Bahia" - 5:55 # "Bharati" - 7:01 # "Secret Life of the Forbidden City" - 10:05 # "Miss Jessye" - 10:24 # "Hyperion With Higgins" - 7:20 # "Darkness on the Delta Suite: Mother Where Art Thou/Robert Johnson on the Banks of the Ganges/Perseverance/Till the River Runs Free/Peace in the Storm" - 12:40 # "Dervish on the Glory B" - 8:24 # "The Caravan Moves On" - 8:32

Personnel

* Charles Lloyd –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* John Abercrombie –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

– bass *

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{Authority control 2001 albums ECM Records albums Charles Lloyd (jazz musician) albums Albums produced by Manfred Eicher