Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett push jazz into new territories on Jazz Casual.

Ralph Gleason’s TV show Jazz Casual featured some of the most entertaining jazz recordings of the time and this 1968 performance of Charles Lloyd & Keith Jarrett Quartet is as exciting as any movie. The quartet was brought together by Lloyd in New York City and their first release Forest Flower in 1966 became one of the best selling jazz records of the mid sixties, receiving praise from both rock n’ roll and jazz fans.

There’s an undeniable bohemian air that permeates this performance and the band is both free and in lock step with each other. Jarrett is in complete ecstasy as he tickles the keys of his piano and Lloyd bounces around as if he’s caught in feverous quake. At 6:39 Jarrett starts plucking the strings of his piano, which sounds somehow carries a resonance similar to a sitar, while the rest of the players quietly make room for this unusual but thrilling performance.