Charles Lloyd, now 84, has lived many lives. Over the decades, the saxophone virtuoso has blurred the lines between jazz and popular music, playing with B.B. King, Cannonball Adderley, The Beach Boys and The Grateful Dead – and he's still flowing with music.

This year, Lloyd is releasing three different albums featuring three different trio ensembles. The first album in the series, Chapel, recorded with guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Thomas Morgan comes out Friday. Ocean, featuring pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Anthony Wilson, comes out Aug 26. Sacred Thread, the final trio featuring guitarist Julian Lage and percussionist Zakir Hussain, comes out Oct 28.

Lloyd says creating and recording them gave him an opportunity to search inward.

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