Lloyd McNeill - Treasures. 1976 USA-Washington D.C.

I've spoken about my admiration for Lloyd McNeill on the Asha album post, so I won't cover that here again. Five years after his 3rd (and arguably best) effort Washington Suite, McNeill returns with Treasures. Right from the opening 16 minute 'Griot' time stands still as the music sounds every bit like a 1971 McNeill effort. Along for the ride are some Brazilian musicians he befriended along the way during various travels, including most prominently pianist Dom Salvador. The middle two tracks demonstrate the South American influence, with a bit more of a rock rhythm and some happy flute from McNeill. The closer is closer to a jazz ballad, and points to an earlier period. Great album overall, and a must for McNeill fans.

Ownership: CD: 2019 Soul Jazz (UK). Purchased from an online retailer upon release. Comes with a history of McNeill, a couple of photos, and his full discography in pictures. Long overdue and much needed reissue.

1/28/22 (new entry)

Lloyd McNeill - Elegia. 1980 USA-Washington D.C.

This is the last of the 6 album run that Lloyd McNeill started with Asha in 1969. He did not change with the times. Despite being from 1980, it sounds every bit like a jazz record from the 1960s. Few, if any, could put the spirit in spiritual jazz like McNeill. In many cases the term is just a euphemism for free blow. Not with McNeill. All his pieces are highly composed and often times have a groove that just won't quit. One doesn't have to go any further than the opener 'Samba for the Animals' to underscore that latter point. McNeill also recreates his initial signature piece with 'Asha II', one of the most beautiful flute driven jazz pieces one can ever hear. Closer 'Memory Cycle' is another composition in this style of spiritual jazz. The one diversion here is 'Elegiac Suite for Elizabeth', an incredibly powerful track dedicated to the passing of his 80 year old mom Elizabeth B. McNeill. Here, McNeill and his mostly Brazilian backing band are joined by soprano singer Susan Osborn. It's not an easy listen, rather an intense portrayal. It's hard to imagine any album that was as out of time as Elegia was in 1980. This would be the end of the line for McNeill on the release front (for all intents and purposes), but he continued on with all of his artistic pursuits.

Ownership: CD: 2019 Soul Jazz. The CD is superb though the booklet is largely a retelling of Soul Jazz's prior reissues of McNeill's incredibly rich life with a brief summary at the beginning about Elegia. There are no bonus tracks.

12/19/19 (entry)

The Lloyd McNeill Quartet - Asha. 1969 USA-Washington D.C.

Lloyd McNeill is one of those creative geniuses that only come along once in a blue moon. He's a poet, painter, and of course a master musician, primarily on the flute. He ran with the intellectual 1960s crowd at the vanguard of the Civil Rights Movement, spent a few years in Paris, and those experiences shaped him immensely.

Asha (meaning Hope in the Hindi language) is McNeill's debut solo album and is at once intense, yet beautiful. This is far removed from your ordinary jazz flute album where one solos painfully over a few chords. There's melodies throughout, often times sublime. The rest of the band is also quite accomplished, and there's some beautiful piano to behold as well. This is not a radical album by any means, very much in line with the late 60s jazz movement. It's just exceptionally well done. Lloyd McNeill is an extraordinary individual - and all his passion comes through on this recording. Essential.

Ownership: LP: 1969 Asha. Single sleeve. Acquired online (2003).

CD: 2010 Universal Sound (UK). Comes in an oversized plastic case, similar to what houses a DVD, but smaller. The booklet is loaded with biographical details of Mr. McNeill and the recording at hand. The sound quality is awesome as well.

7/8/03 (acquired); 2010; 2/1/19 (review / new entry)