Hagar's Song is an album by saxophonist Charles Lloyd and pianist Jason Moran recorded in April 2012 and released on ECM February the following year.[1]

Hagar's Song
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2013
RecordedApril 2012
StudioSanta Barbara Sound Design
Santa Barbara, California
GenreJazz
Length68:58
LabelECM 2311
ProducerCharles Lloyd and Dorothy Darr
Charles Lloyd chronology
Athens Concert
(2011)
Hagar's Song
(2013)
Wild Man Dance
(2015)

Reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [3]
All About Jazz     [4]
The Guardian     [5]
PopMatters          [6]

Response was positive, with Metacritic assigning the album an aggregate score of 79 out of 100 based on 6 critical reviews indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[2]

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "Hagar's Song finds Lloyd and Moran at their most naturally curious and deeply attentive best, offering a conversation so intimate the listener may occasionally feel she is eavesdropping."[3]

All About Jazz reviewer John Kelman said, "In a set that runs the gamut from well-known standards by George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington to relatively more contemporary fare from Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson, Lloyd and Moran demonstrate the kind of empathy and trust that only comes from considerably time spent together ... There's little that's predictable about either player, but with Hagar's Song—imbued, as it is, with constants of surprise, simpatico and stellar performances—both Lloyd and Moran have made the leap to a new plateau."[4]

In The Guardian, John Fordham wrote "Saxophonist Charles Lloyd, soon to be 75, here gives an intimate closeup of his warm relationship with brilliant pianist Jason Moran—and with his enslaved great-great-grandmother, who names the album through Lloyd's suite in her memory."[5]

The PopMatters review by Will Layman observed "Hagar’s Song is nothing more and nothing less than a set of duets with Moran. And in many respects it is the most intimate—and best—work of Lloyd’s career ... Hagar’s Song is low on flash. And it rests with love against your ear."[6]

Track listing

edit

All compositions by Charles Lloyd except as indicated

  1. "Pretty Girl" (Billy Strayhorn) - 4:51
  2. "Mood Indigo" (Duke Ellington) - 5:17
  3. "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" (George Gershwin) - 3:39
  4. "All About Ronnie" (Joe Greene) - 4:20
  5. "Pictogram" - 3:59
  6. "You've Changed" (Carl Fischer) - 4:51
  7. "Hagar Suite: Journey Up River" - 6:20
  8. "Hagar Suite: Dreams of White Bluff" - 9:46
  9. "Hagar Suite: Alone" - 2:30
  10. "Hagar Suite: Bolivar Blues" - 4:18
  11. "Hagar Suite: Hagar's Lullaby" - 5:44
  12. "Rosetta" (Earl Hines) - 4:41
  13. "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan) - 5:11
  14. "God Only Knows" (Brian Wilson) - 3:31

Personnel

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ ECM discography accessed December 3, 2013
  2. ^ a b "Hagar's Song by Jason Moran - Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  3. ^ a b Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed December 3, 2013
  4. ^ a b Kelman, John. "Jason Moran: All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller". Musical reviews. All About Jazz. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Fordham, J. The Guardian Review accessed June 11, 2018
  6. ^ a b Layman, W. PopMatters Review accessed June 11, 2018