Santa Barbara 11/28 w Charles Lloyd

Sorry for the delay in posting my remarks sports fans. Last night’s show was part of the Lobero Theatre’s jazz series. Charles Lloyd was joined by Greg Leisz on pedal steel, Bill Frisell on electric guitar, Reuben Rogers on bass, and Eric Harland on drums. They played about 6 or 7 groovy jazz tunes, all instrumentals, starting with a very sleepy Leonard Cohen number. Eventually they picked up the pace and did a nice version of the Beach Boy’s In My Room. If you are familiar with Bill Frisell’s music you can imagine what it sounded like. Each song allowed a band member to cut loose at some point.

Lu joined after 45 minutes or so and we had our first vocals of the night. All of Lu’s songs were done with a jazz arrangement, with Greg and Bill’s parts reminiscent of their performances on the record. Since the band was focusing on performance and not volume, Lu was able to sing without straining and the result was pleasing. Lu commented that thing’s sounded so good that she was tempted to take the band on the road.

Lu returns to the Lobero on January 17. It is Santa Barbara’s oldest still in use theater and holds about 600 people.

Thank you. I am trying my best to meet the high standards you have set for reporting.

My next Lu shows will be at The Troubadour in January. 😀