Charles Lloyd Completes Compelling Trio Sequence With Julian Lage and Zakir Hussain On ‘Trios: Sacred Thread’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Saxophonist and composer Charles Lloyd can never be accused of resting on his laurels; the 84-year-old continues to be one of the most prolific and daring artists in jazz.  He has long considered himself a ‘searcher of sound’ and his last of the three trio outings, Trios: Sacred Thread, certainly is a testament to that descriptor. In fact, this configuration of woodwind, guitar, and tabla may well be the first of its kind as Lloyd teams with Julian Lage and Zakir Hussain respectively.

This performance, like the two previous trio outings, is live, in this case, streamed for a virtual audience at the Paul Mahder Gallery in Healdsburg in Sonoma County, CA, the wine region of the state. So, unlike most live performances where the musicians feed off the energy of the audience, this one is like a live studio recording except with no interruptions by applause or by a need for a retake. It’s free-form improvisation that cannot be duplicated. Not only does this differ from the other trio settings as the music leans toward India, but it’s the only one of three that features percussion and vocals. 

The set consists of seven selections, opening with Lloyd’s “Desolation Sound” which has Lloyd in his comfort zone – spiritual ballad-like tones on tenor aside Lage’s astute harmonic colorings, which prompts Lloyd to softly play the alto flute when he re-enters. They segue to a hush as Hussain joins with a trance-like vocal for Hussain’s “Guman,” completely transforming the mood from contemplative to a more deeply meditative kind of Eastern spirituality which continues into the nine-minute Lloyd penned “Nachekita’s Lament,” pairing Hussain’s softly chanting vocals with Lloyd’s echoing tárogató and later alto flute, as Lage’s masterful chording and Hussain’s varying percussive touches color in the spaces. Lage, has a dominant bluesy aspect to his playing, which surfaces in his solo here, meshing surprisingly well with the Indian strains. 

Hussain’s “Saraswati,” is a brief ode to the goddess of music, art, and wisdom as Lloyd again plays the tárogató and Hussain vocalizes before moving seamlessly into “Kuti,” with Lloyd on alto flute and Hussain finding ethereal vocal tones, sometimes in almost a call and response pattern.  Hussain establishes a brisk tempo on the tablas, setting the stage for an energized Lage solo. “Tales of Rumi,” interestingly written by Lloyd, proves to be mostly a feature for Hussain on tablas and kanjira. The closer, Lloyd’s “The Blessing” is a bookend, a tenor-rendered ballad, first recorded with Michel Petrucianni on piano at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1983. Both the leader and Lage are especially eloquent in their statements. 

We’ve dubbed Lloyd a major spiritual force. There is nothing here to dissuade us from that. In fact, this could be arguably even a higher form of spirituality. It’s just a whole different trio offering than the previous two that shows the endless creativity and versatility of the inimitable Lloyd. Long may he run. 

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