via London Jazz News
‘What kind of magic is this?’ That was the question in this listener’s mind half way through the epic Charles Lloyd Trio set at the Barbican. After a moment of pin drop silence, Lloyd raises his sax and wispy phrases and keening, fluttering runs trace out the barest outlines of a chant-like melody. Rumbles, scrapes, scattered chords; was that piano or guitar? Both? Then somehow, there’s a discernible momentum, an evocative melody and groove condense, there’s even a waft of gospel. Where did it come from? It was alchemy, aural alchemy.
In pianist Gerald Clayton and guitarist Marvin Sewell, Lloyd has partners who are at the top of their game with distinctive and evolved sounds of their own. The artistry in this trio performance was in blending and collective expression. Lloyd though was the still presence at the centre, He’s spent decades conjuring magic from ensembles like this. This trio is the latest in a ‘trio of trios’ recorded by Blue Note. The Ocean Trio was recorded live, but no recording quite prepares one for a live performance like this. A Lloyd ‘gig’ can gradually become more like an audience or encounter than a concert and this was one such occasion.