Tõnu Kaljuste Conductor
Tõnu Kaljuste Conductor
The Call was Lloyd's third album on ECM, and I'd probably put it in the bottom tier of his work for the label. There's plenty of lovely music here, but it runs at almost 80 minutes and contains a fair amount of filler.
The album opens strongly with "Nocturne" and a surging version of the 60s Lloyd composition "The Song My Lady Sings". It closes on an equally strong note, with a trilogy of lengthy tracks ("Figure in Blue", "The Blessing", and the tenor-drums duet "Brother on the Rooftop"). At its best, the music is beautiful and ecstatic. The filler, such as it is, shows up in the middle of the album. It's not bad by any means, but tends toward the monochrome, and all tends to run together.
If you like Lloyd's other work for ECM, you'll find lots to enjoy on The Call. But of the 5 albums with Bobo Stenson, this one is probably the weakest. I'd start with Canto, Notes from Big Sur and All My Relations.
Release date: 01.10.1993
ECM 1522
1
NOCTURNE(Charles Lloyd)
05:21
2
SONG(Charles Lloyd)
12:41
3
DWIJA(Charles Lloyd)
06:42
4
GLIMPSE(Charles Lloyd)
08:29
5
IMKE(Charles Lloyd)
03:51
6
AMARMA(Charles Lloyd)
07:14
7
FIGURE IN BLUE, MEMORIES OF DUKE(Charles Lloyd)
09:23
8
THE BLESSING(Saradananda)
10:44
9
BROTHER ON THE ROOFTOP(Charles Lloyd)
11:58