Time and dates are completely man made. The sun comes up, there’s some stuff in there somewhere and it gets dark. That’s what time is, not one o’clock, two o’clock, Tuesday or December. And that’s easy to loose sight, which is unfortunate, because a lot of stigmatized baggage comes along with it. And that’s all plain nonsense.

Listening to Lloyd McNeill’s albums might suggest a specific place and time to folks, but most guesses as to where and when all of it went down would probably be wrong. Tossing on Treasures made my ears tell my brain that this was all ‘60s styled improv flute jams. That’s what it sounds like at least, but the disc was recorded in ’79. And while some folks – myself included – are hyper critical of jazz from and after that era, McNeill’s album is a stunner.

But prior to delving into the musical work of the flutist, his life time of ephemera is worth noting. Being a visual artist on top of being a musician, McNeill headed to France during the ‘60s and spent time in the company of Pablo Picasso. The influence is rife in McNeill’s work. While there, he also was able to put in work with Eric Dolphy for a time before his death. And while Dolphy isn’t always renowned for his flute prowess, his performances with that instrument should be considered as convincing as the bass clarinet and sax stuff he recorded.

With the background in place, the sometimes funky, sometimes solemn album that McNeill turned in during ’79 is a coherent and thoughtful explanation of where jazz was at the time. The lead off “Griot” really moves through most of the musical territory that would be proffered by the album. There’s some noisy section juxtaposed with some outrageously sample ready drum work and back again. How McNeill has escaped being lionized in the rap community is shocking. Becoming a part of academia could have something to do with it,  though.

Spending time cloistered in classrooms extolling either art or music-as-art has taken away time that McNeill could have spent spreading his name. Working primarily on the east coast, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to find that the flautist hasn’t visited the west coast of the States for a performance in a great many years.

McNeill’s apparently been the subject of a few documentaries as well as recently having a tune collected on a Soul Jazz compilation. But none of that would ready listeners for the bop styled swing that he and his band get into on “As a Matter of Fact.” In the light and airy tune, a serious music critic might find subject for critique, but McNeill’s approach to a codified landscape is much appreciated. It doesn’t seem that he’s exercising that style of jazz to show that he’s capable of pulling it off, just that he likes it. But before too long, the band moves on to another funky shuffle as listeners wonder where Treasures is going to take them.