Al Lloyd & His Orchestra - Mosaics (2023)

Mosaics is the first full length album by Al Lloyd & His Orchestra due for release 27th October 2023, following on from the release of the critically acclaimed EP ‘A Moment In Time’ through SoulMusic Records/Warner X5 in November 2022. The Orchestra is a full powerhouse Big Band, made up of 5 saxophones, 7 brass and rhythm section, with Lloyd at the helm either on piano, saxophone, or conducting. The album ‘Mosaics’ features 9 tracks including 4 originals penned by Lloyd and 5 of his arrangements of others work, including Motown classics and Big Band Standards. With a diverse range of influences including jazz composer Duke Ellington to legendary Motown songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland, ‘Mosaics’ will have something for everyone. Kicking off with the musical satire of ‘Eastern Haze’ (Lloyd’s response to the unsettling developments of the Russian invasion of Ukraine), the album continues with the chaotic ‘Splatford Split’, another original which begins to feature some of the talented soloists in the band. Other originals include ‘Waltz For 154’ and the Bacharach-styled ‘You Don’t Have to Prove I’m a Fool’ which features vocals by Emma Watson. The arrangements of others work includes an instrumental version of the Stylistics classic, ‘Peek-a-Boo’, which is Lloyd’s tribute to Thom Bell who passed late 2022. Two Four Tops covers are featured, including a reworked jazz rendition of ‘7 Rooms of Gloom’ and a vocal and Big Band rendition of the 1964 classic ‘Ask the Lonely’. Two more arrangements including a complete reworking of the Charlie Barnet Big Band standard ‘Skyliner’ and a funk infused ‘jam session’ on Sun Ra’s ‘Where Pathways Meet’ features the impressive improvisation skills of the musicians as well as the arrangements of Al Lloyd.