Which Way Is East?

Personnel includes: Charles Lloyd (vocals, alto & tenor saxophones, alto & C flute, Tibetan oboe, taragato, piano, bass, percussion); Billy Higgins (vocals, guitar, guimbri, drums, hand drums, percussion).
Recorded in Montecito, California in January 2001.
Saxophonist Charles Lloyd--a dedicated, soulful, oft-underrated disciple of John Coltrane's early-1960s, spiritually charged style--and drummer Billy Higgins recorded together on a number of occasions, but, sadly, this album proved to be the last. Five months after these sessions, Higgins passed away, leaving a rich legacy as one of jazz's finest, most dynamic yet subtle drummers, who performed and recorded with a dizzying array of artists including Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, and Pat Metheny.
On WHICH WAY IS EAST, Lloyd brings his usual assortment of reed instruments (along with piano and percussion), while Higgins performs on an array of instruments not typically associated with him--including guitar and guimbri--and even sings (in a gentle, folksy, Afro-Brazilian style) on a few tracks. Stylistically, these duets are less about melody, exposition, and swing than intimate interaction, nuance, and blurring boundaries between jazz and the traditional folk sounds of Africa, Asia, and South America. (Some of Lloyd's '70s recordings presaged aspects of New Age and world music.) This two-disc set is a momentous release, as it captures two remarkable musicians (and friends) at the top of their game, engaging in a series of varied and empathic duets.