His latest offering is a generous and expansive double album, a true gift to those who follow his work. And yet, there remains an air of mystery about Lloyd. An almost mystical reserve. So it’s only right that, when I emailed him some questions about the new album and his thoughts and feelings on his art and career, the answers I received were gnomic, almost Zen-like in their brevity. They display the same economy and clarity as every breath he gives to his horn.

Certainly, there has been a powerful spiritual element to Lloyd’s work for many decades. A seasoned practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, his song “TM” from the 1972 album, “Waves”, remains a gorgeous evocation of the deep peace this technique can bring. It’s something that enlivens Lloyd’s art to this day. He told me: “When one dives deep into the infinite and then comes to the surface of the relative – a minute particle of the infinite is infused into the breath.”

Lloyd’s love and reverence for the Vedanta spiritual philosophy have informed his work for many years. And Indian music, too, has been a recurring influence in his music – not least in his collaborations with the late tabla maestro, Zakir Hussain, with whom he first performed in 2001 and who died in 2024. These themes and relationships are lovingly evoked in the track “Hymn To The Mother,” which is dedicated to Hussain. “This was a lasting kinship of a lifetime,” Lloyd explains. “Deep love and respect on every level. I miss him, and at unexpected moments I hear his mellifluous voice in my mind’s ear.”

But new musical connections are always being made. “Figure In Blue” features a brand-new trio – with pianist Jason Moran and guitarist Marvin Sewell – which Lloyd first convened for his 87th birthday earlier this year for a concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, and then immediately took into the studio. Though both Moran and Sewell have worked extensively with Lloyd in the past on different projects, this is the first time all three have come together. “The time felt ripe to do some exploring together,” says Lloyd. It’s also the latest in a series of intimate trio settings that Lloyd has investigated in recent times – such as on his Trio of Trios triumvirate of live albums released in 2022. Is there, I wonder, something in particular that keeps Lloyd returning to this configuration? “I love to soar but you can’t look down,” he asserts. “Time expands.”

No matter how fresh Lloyd’s explorations are, there’s always an abiding sense that every album is another integral piece of the glorious mosaic of his long career. Many of the tracks on “Figure In Blue” revisit tunes that he has previously recorded – not just the timeless hymn “Abide With Me” (which he cut for his 2016 album “I Long To See You”), but also some of his own compositions, including “Desolation Sound” (from 2022’s “Sacred Thread”) and “Song My Lady Sings” (from 2022’s Chapel). This idea of returning to repeatedly investigate songs is something that other artists perhaps don’t attempt so much, revealing, in Lloyd, a fascination with finding the new in each moment. “The sun rises every morning and sets every night,” says Lloyd. “It repeats itself but is never the same.”

And there are other ways Lloyd checks in with his own past. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in the Deep South of the U.S., he has always infused his work with a love of the Blues. On “Figure In Blue”, it resounds on tracks like “Chulahoma” through Sewell’s raw bottleneck guitar. “Chulahoma was a spot on the map – south a ways from my grandfather’s farm in Mississippi,” Lloyd explains. “I grew up drenched in the Blues and was initiated by Johnny Ace, Roscoe Gordon, BB King – and the great man himself, Howlin’ Wolf. They bring a visceral approach that is authentic to its core. Marvin has roots in the South – the red clay on his feet is authentic too.”

As well as the tribute to Zakir Hussain, “Figure In Blue” features homages to towering heroes of jazz. “Figure in Blue, Memories of Duke” is for Duke Ellington, while “The Ghost of Lady Day” bows to Billie Holiday. Does Lloyd feel it’s important to honour these eternal avatars of the music? “We all stand in the shoulders of those who came before us,” he explains. “While moving forward, it is important to recognize and acknowledge where they sit in the microcosm and the macrocosm of the Universe.”

With a career now well into its seventh decade, there’s no doubt Lloyd occupies a vital role in the tradition himself. One wonders how the process of aging has changed the way he plays, how he feels about the music. “I am blessed that the Creator still gives it to me. Each day is a reminder of impermanence.” It feels like Charles Lloyd will always be here with us. With the world in such turmoil today, does he remain optimistic about the future, about the role music can play in our evolution and survival? “The future is the unknown – in my life, music has always brought me inspiration and consolation. I pray that it will continue to do so for others on the planet.”

Daniel Spicer is a Brighton-based writer, broadcaster and poet with bylines in The Wire, Jazzwise, Songlines and The Quietus. He’s the author of books on German free jazz legend Peter Brötzmann and Turkish psychedelic music.

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_{Header image: Marvin Sewell, Charles Lloyd, Jason Moran. Photo: Dorothy Darr.}