SFJAZZ presents Zakir Hussain and Lionel Loueke
2015-04-05
Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM, Sunday, April 5, 2015

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[7:02 PM lights down, no announcements, just Zakir & Lionel]

1. [7:02 PM] ?
2. [7:13 PM] ?
3. [7:18 PM] ?
4. [7:23 PM] ?
5. [7:32 PM] ?
   [7:40 PM add Ganesh R]
6. [7:40 PM] ?
   [set ends 7:51 PM]

[8:11 PM lights down; all four onstage]

1. [8:11 PM] ?
2. [8:14 PM] ?
3. [8:35 PM] ?
4. [8:41 PM] ?
5. [8:54 PM] ?
6. [9:02 PM] ?
7. [9:05 PM] ?
   [show ends 9:11 PM, no encore tonight]

• Rakesh Chaurasia: bansuri flute;
• Zakir Hussain: tabla, percussion, vox;
• Lionel Loueke: guitar, vox;
• Ganesh Rajagopalan: carnatic violin.

It seemed to me that tonight's show was one of those “throw things against the wall and see what sticks” sort of gigs, with little or no prior rehearsal or programming beyond a skeletal outline regarding who would lead and who would follow. Sometimes this pays off really well, but other times you end up with relatively uninspired noodling. Which is an excellent summary of the night. The crowd was certainly eager to hear new and exciting creations of the moment, and responded loudly when such fit the circumstances. But other times it felt like we were all just treading water at a surf break, waiting for a good wave to come along. “That one?” “Uhh, Maybe”… then, “No, I guess not”… keep paddling and wait for the next swell!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2015 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2015 event list! ☸ On to the next event!