Charles Lloyd

I have a list of musicians I'd like to see perform (I posted an earlier version here). This list is no mere folly, but a real passion for me, to be taken seriously with a sense of urgency. Last year, Maria and I had just decided that we needed to see Hank Jones when we heard of his passing. Too late! Damn! But last week Maria and I were able to scratch a couple names off the list.

Charles Lloyd has been on the list for a while. There's something about his tone on the saxophone which is melancholy and introspective. I can imagine that it might not please some people, but I find it gorgeous. Some years ago, he recorded a couple albums with Brad Mehldau that I find especially irresistible.

Last week Lloyd played at Symphony Center. The first half of the show he played with drummer Eric Harland and tabla master Zakir Hussain. This part I found interesting, though the few songs tended to go on too long, and the instrument swapping was a little self-indulgent. Lloyd would play piano a while, then Harland joined him on piano, then Lloyd played drums, etc. In the second half, they were joined by Jason Moran on piano and Larry Grenadier on bass; I would gladly have heard more from them.

It was great to finally see Lloyd play and to hear him speak. The revelation of the night was the magic that Hussain evoked from the tablas. In his hands, these are no mere drums, but a unified musical instrument that spans the audible spectrum, and made me wonder several times, “Where are those sounds coming from? How is that possible?” To top that, Hussain added vocals to a couple songs with incredible intonation and sustain, all while he sat on the stage, in a posture that should actively prohibit any such feat.

Unfortunately, I found myself spending considerable energy not intensely focused on the performance, but rather keeping myself from throttling the two young women immediately to my right, who: showed up late; wandered out and back in, forcing us to stand several times; opened and ate snacks noisily; and talked with each other at normal volume the entire time. Stay the !@#$ at home!!