Reflections on Jazz and Identity

A conversation with Charles Lloyd feels like a veritable interaction with the pages of history. I was continuously surprised throughout my conversation with Charles, along with Don Was, about the depth of his experiences…and the wisdom too.

Charles is an inordinately beautiful tenor player from Memphis, Tennessee - who grew up at a time where the region was brimming with talent… Elvis Presley, Howlin' Wolf, Junior Parker, Billy Lee Riley, B.B. King and so many more were from there or made their careers there. It was also a popular destination for touring artists giving a young Charles an incredible musical education.

On today’s episode of Broken Record, another in our series celebrating the 85th anniversary of Blue Note Records… I have Don Was as my co-host and we talk to Charles Lloyd about his colorful upbringing in Memphis and about the early Los Angeles jazz scene he became a part of after moving to California to attend USC. This conversation goes a lot of places… from Elvis to Quincy Jones to the Beach Boys and far beyond. And please be sure to check out his wonderful new album out on Blue Note, The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow.

You can hear a playlist of some of our favorite Charles Lloyd songs HERE.

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