Saxophonist Charles Lloyd is that rare musician who is able to synthesize traditional and modern jazz elements into a seamless and appealing musical style. His latest, Jumping the Creek, provides many beautiful examples of his work.

One of the chief reasons for Lloyd's enduring vitality is his impeccable choice of collaborators. Here, pianist Geri Allen matches him as a soloist riff for riff. Her solo on Jacque Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas" is supremely well-paced, starting ruminatively and building to an impressionistic flurry of activity. Drummer Eric Harland combines subtlety with intricacy. On "Ken Katta Ma Om," he starts very much in the background, but his murmuring syncopated groove soon steals the show. Bassist Robert Hurst often makes economical choices, but his approach nearly always bolsters the harmonic changes, providing solid footing for the soloists; his strong sonorous tone creates a lush underpinning on "Angel Oak Revisited."

Lloyd's playing is often inspiring. "Canon Perdido" showcases his fleet-footed and witty side, while "Jumping the Creek" is an exultant post-bop excursion; Lloyd balances energetic arpeggiations with an elegant use of space, interspersing short melodies with rests in a musical game of cat and mouse. Even a venerable standard like Ellington's "Come Sunday" is imparted with freshness. Lloyd's reading of the melody wrings every ounce of emotive intensity from it, yet never seems overwrought. Allen's solo is more subdued, an elegant counterpoint of ideas filled with colorful harmonies. "Georgia Bright Suite," a thirteen minute long extended workout on two of Lloyd's best compositions, "Pythagoras at Jeckyll Island" and "Sweet Georgia Bright," proves to be an exciting excursion, filling with hot soloing and cool changes. Jumping the Creek is not to be missed. - Christian Carey