I Long to See You

Veteran jazz adventurer Charles Lloyd’s 2015 comeback album, Wild Man Dance, featured intense, winding improvisations with unusual instruments; in typically unpredictable fashion, he follows up with an Americana-drenched exploration including Bill Frisell's gently bluesy guitar. The populist moves work without pandering: The “Masters of War” cover has a grim specificity, while the Willie Nelson collaboration continues the Red Headed Stranger’s winning streak of guest appearances on Blue Note. But it’s the unwavering strength of Lloyd’s lyrical tenor sax (“Barche Lamsel”) and his boisterous flute playing (“Of Course, of Course”) that unify the album.