''Hyperion with Higgins'' is an album by American

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

saxophonist Charles Lloyd recorded in December 1999—concurrently with '' The Water Is Wide'' (2000)—and released by ECM in August the following year. The quintet features rhythm section John Abercrombie,

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

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father was a trumpet player in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his chi ...

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, three months previously.

Reception

The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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 Reviewaccessed 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 * John Abercrombie – guitar *

– piano *

– bass *

– drums

References

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