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Charles Lloyd was on his way to becoming a jazz giant long before any jazz fans knew his name. Getting his first alto saxophone at 9, the Memphis native won an amateur contest at 10, and soon began taking lessons. A move to Los Angeles at 18 had him studying classical music by day, and sitting in with Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Charlie Haden, and others at night. A right-time, right-place situation led to a steady gig as player, composer, and music director in drummer Chico Hamilton’s band, and a switch from alto to tenor sax. After leaving Hamilton, Lloyd did a stint in the Cannonball Adderley Sextet, then formed his own quartet with pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. That band’s 1966 album, “Forest Flower,” was one of the first jazz records to sell a million copies. Lloyd’s fearless improvisations, ranging from a soft whisper to a cacophonous roar, earned him rock-star status and gigs opening for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead. But Lloyd walked away from music in 1970, settling in Big Sur to follow a spiritual path. He returned to the scene a decade later, and since the mid-1980s has been regularly touring and recording. His new Blue Note album, “I Long to See You,” features him on tenor and flute with his current band, the Marvels (Eric Harland, drums; Reuben Rogers, bass; Bill Frisell, guitar; Greg Leisz, pedal steel). Full article https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2016/01/27/sax-legend-lloyd-still-chasing-sound-head/80tB0PJYuRB2E5cMQ9Ua6K/story.html