Legendary jazz instrumentalist Charles Lloyd celebrated his 85th birthday with back-to-back concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theatre on Oct. 13 and 14, wowing spectators with a wildly diverse couple of sets at the NYC stage.

On Saturday, Lloyd was joined by the members of his quartet for a standout performance at the Columbus Circle venue. Empty seats littered the scattered spaces between enthusiastic jazz fans, comfortably spread around the scenic, circular room. The group opened with an up-tempo number, fusing contrasting ideas seamlessly – the collages of sound weaved in and out of each other, and each player’s unique voice translated swimmingly, placed in all the right spots, to an audience of bewildered and stunned attendees. 

Jazz at Lincoln Center, which was spearheaded by artistic director and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, has hosted jazz performances and educational initiatives since 1978. Renowned multi-instrumentalist Lloyd is well known for his work with a slew of iconic artists within the realm of jazz and beyond, including Cannonball Adderley, Chico Hamilton, the Beach Boys, and many others. In recent years, his solo output has ventured into increasingly experimental and avant-garde territory. His main quartet has included drummer Eric Harland, pianist Jason Moran, and bassist Reuben Rogers for over a decade.

The band showcased their versatility, moving through traditional ballads and soulful blues in between their more adventurous compositions. Harland often showcased his eclecticism, moving around the drums with vigor and ferocity, juxtaposed against moments of tenderness and sparsity. While Harland often seemed to venture into uncharted territory throughout the set, Rogers was largely responsible for holding together the skeleton of each composition on his bass, acting as a solid and steady launching pad for the group to fly from. 

The dynamics of each musician cannot be understated, as careful attention was paid to the volume and tone of each tune. Moran produced exciting and sporadic improvisations on the keys, building on the melodic and experimental ideas that Lloyd expressed on his horn. This band is a well oiled machine, a unit skilled in the art of creation, an army of improvisational soldiers waging a war for art they seem to be winning. 

The battle, however, never ends.

The evening certainly provided an exciting ride of shifting moods and feelings – moments of joy contrasted bits of chaotic harmony. Lloyd, adorned in sunglasses and cool as ever, only paused once between songs to thank the audience for coming. At 85 years old, the jazz master has not lost an ounce of his speed or power on the various horns he whipped out throughout the evening, including a couple of saxophones and a flute. Lloyd is a master of crafting intricate melodies on the spot as though they were written and thoroughly rehearsed. Despite his penchant for venturing into new and complex territories in his improvisational approach, Lloyd does not forego his bluesy roots, dosing his playing with a healthy dollop of soul.

Lloyd is representative of so many things that make the art of making music great. He is a skilled bopper, a free aficionado, and he played with The Beach Boys goddamnit. He is a living testament to the diversity and adventurous nature of creation – an unflinching and unrelenting artist, who will forever be renowned as a jazz master.

The 90-minute set flew by, and before anyone could realize it, the group had left the stage to thunderous applause. Fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the musician lined up outside the stage doors to no avail. The cool, mysterious Charles Lloyd had left the building.