Hagar’s Song, ECM ****

There's a darkness and strength beneath the surface of this apparently amiable duo recording. The Hagar of the title is saxophonist Charles Lloyd's great-great-grandmother, born into slavery, the discovery of whose life and times produced the central suite of Hagar's Song. Now in his 75th year, Lloyd may not have the agility and raw power of Coltrane, but he shares with him a palpable spirituality. This invests his playing with a directness that transcends technique and can be deeply affecting. Pianist Jason Moran, though some 40 years Lloyd's junior, is the perfect foil, with one foot in the blues past and the other in the abstract future, providing typically idiosyncratic but always intelligent accompaniment on the likes of Ellington's Mood Indigo, Gershwin's Bess, You Is My Woman Now, and Brian Wilson's God Only Knows. charleslloyd.com