Reedman Charles Lloyd turns 88 years of age today. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee on this date in 1938. Charles was given a saxophone when he was nine, and was fascinated by radio broadcasts by Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and others he heard in the 1940s. After high school Lloyd enrolled at the University of Southern California as a music major and began playing gigs at night with Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy and Bobby Hutcherson. He also was a member of Gerald Wilson’s big band.
In 1960 Lloyd became the musical director of Chico Hamilton’s group. During his time in that position the ensemble recorded two albums that featured music arranged and written almost entirely by Lloyd. He left Hamilton’s employ in 1964 to join Cannonball Adderley’s sextet. That same year Charles was signed by Columbia Records and began to record as a leader.
In 1966 Charles Lloyd hired Keith Jarrett, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette and formed his “classic quartet.” The group toured extensively over the next couple of years, and their live recording made at the Monterey Jazz Festival became one of the most popular jazz albums of the period. In 1967 Lloyd was voted “Jazz Artist of the Year” in a DownBeat Magazine poll.
Lloyd was more or less absent from the jazz scene during the 1970, although he did spend time recording and touring with the Beach Boys. By 1981, though, he was playing with Michel Petrucciani and Charles formed a new group in 1989 with Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Since that time Lloyd has recorded regularly for the ECM and Blue Note labels and continues to be an active performer. Charles Lloyd was elected to the DownBeat Magazine Hall of Fame in 2024 and lives in southern California with his wife Dorothy.
Here is a link to his quartet playing on Belgian television in 1966:

"CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET"