At 83, Charles Lloyd, like jazz itself, is alive and in the moment, or as he puts it, “the nowness.” The fact that jazz, the cultural progeny of Storyville, Kansas City, Memphis, Harlem, and 52nd Street, should be thriving in Santa Barbara makes perfect sense when you consider both the creative vision that Lloyd experiences looking out at the Pacific from his home in the hills above Montecito and the inspiration he derives from the many concerts he has played and will play at the Lobero Theater on East Canon Perdido. The greatest all-American art form thrives in our city thanks to the adventurous programing of the Jazz at the Lobero series and the quality of attention brought to these concerts by discerning Santa Barbara audiences.
Charles Lloyd will be back at his home venue on Saturday, October 16, with an exemplary quartet including Gerald Clayton (piano), Reuben Rogers (bass), and Justin Brown on drums, and the faithful will turn out in force to hear what news he has to bring with his music. “Sensitive souls come out of the woodwork for something deep and real,” Lloyd told me by way of explanation, gracefully tapping into a well of eloquence that seems always easily available to him.
With his prolific recent recordings for the storied Blue Note label earning him critical accolades and invitations to play at great halls all over the world, Lloyd is riding a productive creative wave, all thanks to his good health and lifelong devotion to a jazz artist’s version of Zen. “What you’re looking for is looking for you,” he says, crediting music for providing us all with “a place where you can resolve a lot of inadequacies in your soul.”