The 31st of February - The 31st of February 1968

While there's nothing particularly objectionable about the 31st of February's sole album, there's nothing exciting or memorable about it either. It's average late-'60s pop-psychedelic/folk-rock, dominated by the songs of either Scott Boyer or David Brown, though they also cover Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Cod'ine," Jackie DeShannon's obscure "The Greener Isle," and the Dan Penn-Spooner Oldham-Chips Moman collaboration "Sandcastles." Light, reflective folk-rock is the primary color, slightly more downbeat than upbeat (heard to its best effect on "Porcelain Mirrors" and the lugubrious "Cries of Treason"), with a faint Baroque tinge to some of the arrangements and the occasional orchestration. There's a bit of California psychedelic freakout as well on "A Nickel's Worth of Benny's Help," though again this doesn't get too far out or interesting. AMG.

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Van Duren - Are You Serious 1978

Van Duren was part of the small but influential Memphis power pop scene of the '70s that produced Big Star and the Scruffs, and he was more than just a casual observer -- Duren gigged regularly with Chris Bell and auditioned for a guitar slot in Big Star but failed to get the gig. The latter is something of a surprise, as Duren was gifted songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, and in 1977 he scored a deal with Big Sound Records, a short-lived label run by fellow power pop obsessive Jon Tiven, and headed off to Connecticut to record his debut album, Are You Serious? While Duren has a passionate following among pop devotees, Are You Serious? has never quite gained the same sort of cult acclaim as Big Star and the Scruffs, and frankly that may well be because Duren was never as quirky as either of those acts. The angular melodies of Radio City and the aggressive angst of Wanna Meet the Scruffs? set those albums apart from most power pop acts of their day, but by comparison Duren sounds like a cross between Emitt Rhodes and Badfinger, and while his embrace of pop classicism is impressive, ultimately the more traditional slant of his music and the regular-guy cynicism of his lyrics make for a less interesting album than what his peers in the smart hooky stuff were known for. That's not so say Are You Serious? isn't impressive, especially given that Duren plays everything but drums on most tracks, and at a time when Beatles-influenced pop was a rare commodity, this album must have been a breath of fresh air for the few who ran across it. But for all Van Duren's strength as a songwriter and his very impressive vocal chops, Are You Serious? is an album that, rather than shaking the framework of '70s pop, selectively embraced it, and for all its tunefulness it doesn't sound as revelatory 30 years on. AMG.

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Volker Kriegel - Spectrum 1971

By 1971, when he released his second offering as a leader, guitarist Volker Kriegel was already established on Germany's jazz-rock scene as a monster player, courtesy of his membership in the Dave Pike Set. Before joining that band, Kriegel had been known as a formidable jazz talent since his teenage years with vibraphonists Fritz Hartschuh and Claudio Szenkar. Spectrum was issued by MPS, the visionary label that issued groundbreaking recordings by everyone from Oscar Peterson and Monty Alexander to George Duke and Peter Herbolzheimer. Kriegel's sidemen here include British pianist John Taylor on Rhodes, Peter Trunk on upright and electric bass and cello, Dutch percussionist Cees See, and master drummer Peter Baumeister. He wrote everything on the date. "Zoom" is a riff-tastic opener with Kriegel playing sitar as well as electric guitar, with Taylor's funky vamps, See burning on tablas and congas, and Baumeister breaking up a storm. This is jazz rock fusion at its very best. "More About D" commences with shakers, spacy Rhodes, and a pizzicato bassline. When Kriegel enters it becomes knotty, serpentine fusion, with loads of free jazz elements alternating with Eastern modes, walking and swinging post-bop, and more throughout its ten-minute duration. It features some of the guitarist's finest playing on the recording and delivers a portrait of his holistic musical vision. "Suspicious Child, Growing Up" reveals that Kriegel had heard, and apparently loved, the Allman Brothers Band. Its meld of acoustic and electric country blues, underscored by soulful, Stax-like electric piano and rumbling bass and percussion, gives a wide-angle view of its composer's lyricism. Closer "Strings Revisited" invert the solo capacities of cello and guitar as lead instruments with Trunk playing his instrument like a guitar, before he and Kriegel fluidly exchange fours and eights with some killer brushed breaks, rolls, and fills from Baumeister, as Taylor's piano impressionistically paints the frame before taking a smoking post-bop solo full of nuanced arpeggios and legato phrasing. Kriegel enjoyed a long, fruitful career with MPS and it's these records which define his legacy as a creative, restless musician who explored all types of jazz, rock, and world music on every recording he made for the label. That said, Spectrum is special for its ideas, boldness, confidence, and no-boundaries approach. As a result, it holds up generations later as a true jazz-rock classic. AMG.

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Vinicius De Moraes, Marilia Medalha, Toquinho - Como Dizia o Poeta 1971

Vinícius de Moraes was a fundamental figure in Brazilian music. As a poet, he wrote lyrics for a great number of songs that became all-time bossa nova and samba classics. As a composer, he wrote some good music, and as an interpreter, he left several important albums. From a musical family, he began very early to write poetry. At 14 he became friends with the brothers Paulo and Haroldo Tapajós. With Haroldo, he composed the fox song "Loura ou Morena," recorded by the two brothers in 1932 with success for Columbia. In 1929 de Moraes enrolled in law school in Catete, Rio. Between 1932 and 1933 he wrote lyrics for ten songs that were recorded by his partners: seven with Haroldo Tapajós, two with Paulo, and one with J. Medina (which was recorded by João Petra de Barros). In 1933 he finished his college studies and released his first book, O Caminho Para a Distância. In 1935 he had his second book (Forma e Exegese) awarded, and in the next year, he became a cinema censor for the health and education cabinet. In 1936 he wrote Ariana, a Mulher and in 1938 headed to England, with an English government scholarship to study literature at Oxford University, and wrote Novos Poemas. At that time he was married by proxy. With the development of World War I, he returned to Rio. In 1941 he began to write film reviews and critiques. Two years later he joined Brazil's diplomatic service, Itamaraty, also releasing the book Cinco Elegias. In 1946 he was sent to Los Angeles in his first diplomatic assignment as vice consul and released Poemas, Sonetos e Baladas. In 1950 he returned to Brazil due to his father's death. His first samba (with Antônio Maria) is from 1953, "Quando Tu Passas por Mim," a year in which he moved to France as Brazil's embassy second secretary. His play Orfeu da Conceição won the IV São Paulo Centennial Contest in 1954. In 1955 he wrote lyrics for some of Cláudio Santoro's chamber music pieces. That next year he staged Orfeu da Conceição, which was filmed by French writer Marcel Camus. He was then introduced to an unknown pianist, Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was commissioned with writing the music for the play. Jobim composed "Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Você," "Um Nome de Mulher," and several others, recorded by Odeon with Luiz Bonfá and others. Following a return to Paris in 1956 and another diplomatic assignment at Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1957 (when released Livro de Sonetos, followed by Novos Poemas II in 1959), he stayed there until 1960. In 1958 Elizeth Cardoso released her album, marking the beginning of bossa nova. She included on it five compositions by the duo Tom & Vinícius: "Canção do Amor Demais," "Chega de Saudade," "Outra Vez," "Luciana," and "Estrada Branca." The album also brought João Gilberto and his "different beat" onto two tracks, "Chega de Saudade" and "Outra Vez." The careers of all of them had great impetus after that record, and the songs written by Tom & Vinícius became disputed by singers. In 1959 the movie Orfeu do Carnaval, based on the play Orfeu da Conceição, was awarded with the Golden Palm at the international movie festival of Cannes, France, and, in Hollywood, as the best foreign movie. In that time, he and Jobim composed "Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar" and "Amor em Paz." In 1960 he wrote O Amor dos Homens. In 1961 he composed with Carlos Lyra "Coisa Mais Linda," "Primeira Namorada," "Nada Como Ter Amor," and "Você e Eu." In 1962 he wrote (together with Pixinguinha) the soundtrack for the movie Sol Sobre a Lama (Alex Viany), which included "Lamento"; he also met Baden Powell and wrote with him "Samba da Bênção," "Só por Amor," "Canção de Amor e Paz," "Pra Que Chorar," "Deixa," "Samba em Prelúdio," "Apelo," "Berimbau," "Consolação," and other great classics. After Powell's return from Bahia, where he dedicated himself to research the Bahian folklore, they composed the series known as the Afro-sambas: "Samba de Oxossi," "Canto de Xangô," "Canto de Ossanha," and others. With Carlos Lyra he wrote "Marcha da Quarta-Feira de Cinzas" and "Minha Namorada," included in his play Pobre Menina Rica. In August 1962, together with Jobim, João Gilberto, and Os Cariocas, he opened the show Encontro at the Au Bon Gourmet nightclub (Rio). That show represented the first audition of "Garota de Ipanema," "Insensatez," "Ela é Carioca," "Só Danço Samba," "Samba do Avião" (all with Jobim), and "Samba da Bênção." The same nightclub presented his play Pobre Menina Rica, which had music by Carlos Lyra ("Sabe Você," "Primavera," and "Pau-de-Arara"). The play launched the career of Nara Leão. He also released Para Viver um Grande Amor. In the next year he met Edu Lobo, with whom he would write "Arrastão" (which would win the I FMPB in 1965 with Elis Regina's interpretation), "Zambi," and "Canção do Amanhecer." Returning to Paris, he worked for UNESCO until 1964. Meeting Francis Hime upon returning to Brazil, they composed "Saudade de Amar," "Sem Mais Adeus," and "Eu Te Amo, Amor." Together with Dorival Caymmi he presented a show at the Zum-Zum nightclub, which was a major success. Recorded live, it was released by Elenco. Quarteto em Cy, four singing sisters he discovered, was launched at that show. At the I FMPB, "Valsa do Amor Que Não Vem" (together with Baden Powell) won second place in the interpretation of Elizeth Cardoso. He collaborated on the script of the movie Garota de Ipanema and had a second season for his show with Dorival Caymmi. Also in 1965 he released O Mergulhador. In 1966 he participated (with Maria Bethânia and Gilberto Gil) in the show Pois É at the Teatro Opinião, which presented Gil's compositions. His "Samba da Bênção" (with Baden) was included on the soundtrack of Claude Lelouch's movie Un Homme et une Femme, winner of the Cannes movie festival. He also wrote Para uma Menina com uma Flor. In 1968 he was summarily fired after 26 years of work from the Itamaraty by the discretionary powers of military dictatorship. In that year, he toured extensively through Europe (with Chico Buarque and Nara Leão) and Argentina (with Dorival Caymmi, Quarteto em Cy, Baden Powell, and Oscar Castro-Neves). In 1969 he performed at Punta del Este, Uruguay, with Maria Creuza and Dori Caymmi. In that year he also became the partner of Toquinho (de Moraes' most frequent partner and biggest friend, they would record 20 LPs together), with whom, along with Marília Medalha, he opened a show in 1970 at the Teatro Castro Alves (Salvador). Also with them, he performed at the La Fusa nightclub (Buenos Aires, Argentina); in January 1971 Toquinho and de Moraes would again perform there, this time with Maria Bethânia. Still in 1970, taking a hit by Garoto written 20 years before, he wrote (together with Chico Buarque) the lyrics for "Gente Humilde." His book Arca de Noé would yield ten years later several TV stagings with music by Toquinho, which was released on two LPs: A Arca de Noé (Ariola, 1980) and A Arca de Noé, Vol. 2 (Ariola, 1981). In 1971 an LP with his compositions (with Toquinho) "Tarde em Itapoã" and "Como Dizia o Poeta" was released by RGE with great success. It brought a great number of invitations for touring in Brazil and abroad. Always successful the duo came out with "Maria-vai-Com-as-Outras," "Testamento" (1971), "Regra Três" (1972), and others. With Toquinho and Clara Nunes, he presented the 1973 show O Poeta, a Moça e o Violão at the Teatro Castro Alves, Bahia. AMG.

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Anthony 'Reebop' Kwaku Bah - Anthony 'Reebop' Kwaku Bah 1973

The rhythms of Nigeria were brought to British rock by percussionist/singer Anthony "Reebop" Kwaku Baah. A member of Traffic during the early '70s, Baah became the only non-founding member with the group longer than Dave Mason. He subsequently worked with German rock bands CAN and Zahara, and recorded several impressive solo albums. His 1977 album Trance was a collaboration with traditional Moroccan musicians from the mystical Ganoua sect. A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Baah moved to England in the '60s. He was living in Sweden in 1971 when Steve Winwood invited him to record and tour with Traffic. Although he remained with the group for the remainder of the '70s, he balanced his involvement with solo projects. His debut solo effort Reebop, recorded with Swedish musicians and released in 1972, was followed by Anthony Reebop Kwaku Baah in 1973 and Trance in 1977. Baah died of a cerebral hemmorage in 1983 while onstage in Sweden. His final album, Melodies in a Jungle Man's Head, was never finished but found release in 1989. In addition to his work with Traffic, Baah contributed to albums by Winwood, the Rolling Stones, and Ginger Baker. AMG.

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Raices - Raices 1975

Raices was a Puerto Rican Latin-jazz/rock band that released a self-titled album on Nemperor in 1975. The band were a local supergroup comprising ex-members of Kaleidoscope, Space, and Cortijo & His Time Machine.

The members of Raice were Juan Melendez (flute, soprano saxophone, clarinet), Amaury Lopez (fender rhodes, grand piano, clavinet, moog, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocal), Carlos ‘Kiko’ Melendez (guitars, cuatro, vocal), Roberto Puras (bass), Gonchi Sifre (drums, percussion, harmonica), Rafael Cruz (manjira, [clay] drums, goblet drum, cuica, bells, berimbau, cabasa, caxixi, flexatone), Sammy Figueroa (congas, triangle, flexatone, kalimba, vocals).

Raices comprised some of the island’s most accomplished musicians. Percussionist Rafael Cruz hailed from psych-rockers Kaleidoscope, which issued an eponymous album in Mexico in 1969. Keyboardist Amaury Lopez and bassist Roberto Puras played in Latin-rockers Space, which self-released the album Music to the People in 1970. Drummer Gonchi Sifre played on the popular 1973 release Y su Maquina del Tiempo by Cortijo & His Time Machine. The band’s singular album, Raices, was released on Nemperor/Atlantic in 1975. Of the eight tracks, seven are originals, including the brisk reed-riff gallop “Lenguas,” the chirping samba whirlwind “Parata Gua Gua,” the interrupted cocktail moonlighter “Parallax,” and the clavinet/clarinet groove of “Bluegarian Funk Dance.” Writing credits are mostly divided between Lopez and bothers Juan (reeds, voice) and Carlos Melendez (guitar). A seven-minute rendition of the Oscar Castro Neves/Sebastiano Neto composition “After Sunrise” is the sole cover. Musically, the band’s hallmarks include reed/keyboard trade-offs, abrupt tempo shifts, and frequent percussive spray.

The members of Raices were all multi-instrumentalists. Cruz’s arsenal included sardarflute, manjira (finger cymbals), dumbagi, quika, berimbau, cabassa, chickera, caxixi, quedo, flexitone, and coconut shells. Raices was produced by Bruce Botnick (The Doors, Love, Ben Sidran, James Vincent, Ross, Tony Williams Lifetime) and recorded at Miami’s Criteria Recording Studios. Its cover depicts a large poinciana illustrated by Haruo Miyauchi, who’s other visual credits include covers for Utopia (Todd Rundgren’s Utopia) and Roy Ayer’s Ubiquity (Virgo Red).

Guitarist Carlos “Kiko” Melendez recorded a pair of 1976/77 albums with the Rice and Beans Orchestra. He also played on albums by Art Webb, Eladio Torres, and Celi Bee & The Buzzy Bunch. He reunited with Lopez and Puras on Titti Sotto’s 1978 album Salsisimo!, billed as T.T.S. & The Banana Boat Co. and released on one-press Banana Records.

Cruz’s list of post-Raices credits includes albums from the worlds of rock (Tommy Bolin, Ray Gomez) jazz (Don Cherry, Herbie Mann, Kenny Barron, Steve Grossman, Sonny Fortune), jazz-funk (Art Webb, Brecker Brothers, Kilimanjaro), pop (Bette Midler, Carly Simon), soul (Chaka Khan, Narada Michael Walden), and international fusion (Chris Hinze Combination, Morrissey Mullen, Passport). Cruz also partook in the jazz all-star conglomerate the Atlantic Family, which performed at the 1977 Montreux International Festival: an event chronicled on the 1978 Atlantic double-album Live at Montreux.

Sifre played on Roy Buchanan’s 1976 album A Street Called Straight. He also appeared, with Kiko and Cruz, on Art Webb’s 1977 release Mr. Flute. JazzRock Soul.

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Spindrift - Spindrift Liberate The Pirates of Penzance 1970

Spindrift An obscure 1970 baroque pop psych álbum that is a reworking of the famous opera, by Gilbert and Sullivan, with fuzz guitar and harpsichord on the tiny Steady label. 

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The Five Americans - I See The Light 1966

lf you're curious enough about the Five Americans to want more than a greatest hits collection, this 1966 album is a worthwhile supplement. Ten of the 12 cuts are group originals, and they lean toward the gutsier side of what this sometimes pop-oriented act could offer, with occasional influences of Beau Brummels-like folk-rock. Most of the songs are not on their CD best-of (Western Union), and this disc adds previously unreleased alternate takes of "The Train" and "Good Times." AMG.

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Truck - Truck 1973

Formed in 1966, Ingersoll, ON, Canada. Original line up was Bill Caldwell, Sandy MacKay, Dave Borland, Rob Oliver and Bruce Fleming. The group was called Sound Spectrum then. When they played at the Rock Hill Festival in Ontario, 1970, they were still called Sound Spectrum. Group Lighthouse was the star attraction at that festival. They later changed their name to Truck possibly in '71 or '72. They were managed by Peter Francey of Slic Bros.. Their solo álbum was issued in 1973 with interesting folk, jazz, and rock style. Give it a try. 

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Sparrow - Hatching Out 1972

British harmony pop group founded by members of the London stage production of Hair. 

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Flo & Eddie - Moving Targets 1976

For their final (of two) projects for Columbia Records in the mid-'70s, Mark Volman (Flo) (vocals/guitar) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie) (vocals) serve up a mixed bag of rockers as only Flo & Eddie can. With the exception of the Turtles' "Elenore" and "Guns" -- the latter of which features a shared credit with former Turtles' and Mother of Invention bandmate Jim Pons -- the remainder of Moving Targets (1976) was written entirely by the pair. While their lyrics might come off as cynical (read: realistic) or whiney to some, they counteract the typical pop/rock fare by presenting the listener with an undeniably fresh vantage point. The (perhaps) semi-biographical "Mama, Open Up" seems to be a psychological profile of its authors disguised as a typical '70s power ballad. Sounding like a combination of Chicago and Todd Rundgren, Alan MacMillan's horn-fuelled arrangement on "The Love You Gave Away" -- not to mention Flo & Eddie's impeccable harmonies -- almost disguise the odd spin on a love triangle. Marked by a bright jangle guitar introduction and strong dual-lead vocals, "Hot" stands out as a return to a feel that recalls earlier Flo & Eddie material. MacMillan's brass score provides some punch to "Best Friends." The compact and catchy tune lives up to its parenthetical moniker that indicates it as a "theme to the unsold T.V. pilot." "Best Possible Me" is truly exceptional, equaling anything in the Flo & Eddie cannon. MacMillan earns his keep as the orchestration underscores the powerful melody. In a very different way, the same can be said of the tongue-in-cheek "Keep It Warm" as they mull over their life and future as singer/songwriters. "Guns" is an upbeat rocker with the occasional anti-war sentiments, while the new recording of "Elenore" is taken at a noticeably quicker pace that reflects the way Flo & Eddie were concurrently performing the song in their live shows. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" meets "Add Some Music to Your Day" on "Sway When You Walk" as the highly recommended entry not only brims with positivity, it taps into the duo's silly and cerebral sides as well. Bucking the norm of placing the title track at the beginning of the disc, "Moving Targets" can be found at the conclusion of the platter. The mid-'70s proto-heavy metal vibe bears an Alice Cooper or Kiss influence, contrasting the rest of the effort in its relative straightforward approach. AMG.

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The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed 1969

Mostly recorded without Brian Jones -- who died several months before its release (although he does play on two tracks) and was replaced by Mick Taylor (who also plays on just two songs) -- this extends the rock and blues feel of Beggars Banquet into slightly harder-rocking, more demonically sexual territory. The Stones were never as consistent on album as their main rivals, the Beatles, and Let It Bleed suffers from some rather perfunctory tracks, like "Monkey Man" and a countrified remake of the classic "Honky Tonk Woman" (here titled "Country Honk"). Yet some of the songs are among their very best, especially "Gimme Shelter," with its shimmering guitar lines and apocalyptic lyrics; the harmonica-driven "Midnight Rambler"; the druggy party ambience of the title track; and the stunning "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which was the Stones' "Hey Jude" of sorts, with its epic structure, horns, philosophical lyrics, and swelling choral vocals. "You Got the Silver" (Keith Richards' first lead vocal) and Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain," by contrast, were as close to the roots of acoustic down-home blues as the Stones ever got. AMG.

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Curtis Mayfield - Superfly 1972

The choice of Curtis Mayfield to score the blaxploitation film Super Fly was an inspired one. No other artist in popular music knew so well, and expressed through his music so naturally, the shades of gray inherent in contemporary inner-city life. His debut solo album, 1970's Curtis, had shown in vivid colors that the '60s optimist (author of the civil-rights anthems "Keep On Pushing" and "People Get Ready") had added a layer of subtlety to his material; appearing on the same LP as the positive and issue-oriented "Move On Up" was an apocalyptic piece of brimstone funk titled "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go." For Super Fly, Mayfield wisely avoids celebrating the wheeling-and-dealing themes present in the movie, or exploiting them, instead using each song to focus on a different aspect of what he saw as a plague on America's streets. He also steers away from explicit moralizing; through his songs, Mayfield simply tells it like it is (for the characters in the film as in real life), with any lessons learned the result of his vibrant storytelling and knack of getting inside the heads of the characters. "Freddie's Dead," one of the album's signature pieces, tells the story of one of the film's main casualties, a good-hearted yet weak-willed man caught up in the life of a pusher, and devastatingly portrays the indifference of those who witness or hear about it. "Pusherman" masterfully uses the metaphor of drug dealer as businessman, with the drug game, by extension, just another way to make a living in a tough situation, while the title track equates hustling with gambling ("The game he plays he plays for keeps/hustlin' times and ghetto streets/tryin' ta get over"). Ironically, the sound of Super Fly positively overwhelmed its lyrical finesse. A melange of deep, dark grooves, trademarked wah-wah guitar, and stinging brass, Super Fly ignited an entire genre of music, the blaxploitation soundtrack, and influenced everyone from soul singers to television-music composers for decades to come. It stands alongside Saturday Night Fever and Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols as one of the most vivid touchstones of '70s pop music. AMG.

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Déjà Vu - Cosmic Zack 1977

German fusion band with nods to various earlier Krautrock bands, and notable leanings towards Canterbury and Dutch prog fusion acts.

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Charles Lloyd - Geeta 1973

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd is a free-spirited musical visionary whose improvisational talents and interest in cross-pollinating jazz with folk, rock, and non-Western traditions, established him as a key figure. Albums like Of Course, Of Course in 1965, Love In (1966), Forest Flower (1967), and In the Soviet Union (1970) were so successful in showcasing his warm, accessible playing style on tenor saxophone and flute that they charted. Lloyd spent the '70s in retreat but recorded independent dates including 1973's Geeta and 1979's Morning Sunrise, wedding global traditions, jazz, and rock. Between 1992 and 2013 he issued a series of albums on ECM that established him as an innovator and elder jazz statesman. He signed to Blue Note in 2015, issued the charting live album Wild Man Dance, and formed an all-star fusion outfit called the Marvels with guitarists Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz. Their debut, I Long to See You, followed in 2016. Two years later, Lloyd, the Marvels, and singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams joined forces on Vanished Gardens. 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero) was released in 2020. Lloyd's Marvels released the studio album Tone Poem in March 2021. Trios: Chapel, the first in his Trio of Trios series, arrived in March 2022, with Marvels' Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan. The second, Trios: Ocean with pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Anthony Wilson, arrived in September. Trios: Sacred Thread included percussionist Zakir Hussain and guitarist Julian Lage and arrived in November. Lloyd returned in 2024 with The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow leading an all-star quartet with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Brian Blade. He formed a trio with Moran and guitarist Marvin Sewell to release the double-length Figure in Blue in October 2025. AMG.

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