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Lobero Theatre Ghostlight Society
Media Contact: Angie Bertucci
805.679.6010 / abertucci@lobero.com
RSVP: Jim Dougherty at 805.679.6005
Lobero Theatre Ghostlight Society honors jazz artist
Charles Lloyd as Artistic Luminary
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Friday, January 8, 2016, Lobero Theatre Stage
Honoring Charles Lloyd for his contributions to the world of jazz
Featuring live music and entertainment from guest emcee John Pizzarelli
This is the Ghostlight Society’s first Artistic Luminary award
Monday, March 21, 16, Santa Barbara, CA – The Lobero Ghostlight Society is proud to present its
first Artistic Luminary Award to Charles Lloyd in honor of his contributions to the genres of Jazz and
American Roots Music on Friday, January 8, 2016 with guest artist and emcee, jazz guitarist John
Pizzarelli. The Ghostlight Society is delighted to give this inaugural award to a Santa Barbara local
and a true legend in the international jazz community.
The Lobero Ghostlight Society is the Lobero Theatre’s premier giving circle. Their strong and steady
support illuminates our behind-the-scenes efforts and, like the steadfast bulb at center stage, keeps
our vibrant theatre from ever going dark. Learn more at Lobero.com
Lobero Ghostlight Society
The dedicated members of the Ghostlight Society carry on the commitment originally made in 1924
by a core group of donors responsible for rebuilding the Lobero Theatre in order to provide a lasting
home for live performance in Santa Barbara. By pledging their time, talent and treasure to keep the
light of live performance on in the Lobero, these leaders in the community embrace their vital role in
keeping the arts alive and accessible for the community at large.
Named for a theatrical tradition dating back to Shakespeare’s old globe, the ghostlight is a bare bulb
atop a rudimentary pole which stands at center stage, lit by the last person to leave the theater each
night and extinguished by the first to arrive in the morning. Though stark in stature and artless in form,
the ghostlight fulfills many functions–both practical and supernatural. For over 140 years the lamp has
served as beacon to keep creative spirits company from curtain-down to curtain-up.
1|Ghostlight Society Artistic Luminary: Charles Lloyd
The Luminaries of the Ghostlight Society are a spark of brilliance, not only for the Lobero stage but
also for the entire performing arts community in Santa Barbara. We honor the individuals whose
passion and commitment provide for the artistry that illuminates our stage. The Ghostlight Society has
recognized the following individuals as Luminaries: Lillian & Jon* Lovelace, Anne & Michael Towbes,
Lyn & David Anderson, and Baroness Leni Fe Bland*.
Charles Lloyd
Charles Lloyd was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 15, 1938. Like Memphis’ rich cultural and
musical heritage, Lloyd's ancestry of African, Cherokee, Mongolian, and Irish cultures reflects a
similarly rich inheritance. He was given his first saxophone at the age of 9, and found himself riveted
to 1940's radio broadcasts by Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Billie Holiday and
Duke Ellington.
Classical music also exerted a strong pull on the young Lloyd. In 1956 he left Memphis for Los
Angeles to earn his Master's in music at USC where he studied with Halsey Stevens, a foremost
Bartok authority. While his days were spent in academia, Lloyd spent nights getting educated on the
job in L.A.'s jazz clubs, playing with Ornette Coleman, Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy,
Bobby Hutcherson and other leading west coast jazz artists.
Lloyd joined the Cannonball Adderley Sextet in 1964, and performed alongside Nat Adderley, Joe
Zawinul, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes. He remained with Cannonball for two years, and to this day
continues to acknowledge the important role Cannon played in his own development as a leader.
Lloyd left Cannonball Adderley in 1965 to form his own quartet, which was a brilliant ensemble that
introduced the jazz world to the talents of pianist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist
Cecil McBee. Their first release together was a studio recording, Dream Weaver, followed by Forest
Flower: Live at Monterey, (1966). Forest Flower made history as one of the first jazz recordings to sell
a million copies, and the album's firsts continued as it became a stunning crossover success that
appealed to a popular mass market audiences and gained heavy airplay on FM radio. The Quartet
was the first jazz group to appear at the famed Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco and other rock
palaces and shared billing with Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Cream, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson
Airplane.
In 1967 Charles Lloyd was voted "Jazz Artist of the Year" by DownBeat Magazine. And then, at the
height of his career in the early 1970’s, Lloyd disbanded the quartet and dropped from sight,
withdrawing to pursue an inner journey in Big Sur, the wild haven that had previously attracted other
artists and seekers including Robinson Jeffers, Langston Hughes, Henry Miller, Lawrence
Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, Jean Varda and Jamie DeAngulo. It wasn't until 1981 that Lloyd moved to
break a decade of silence in the jazz world when a remarkable 18-year-old French pianist, Michel
Petrucciani, arrived in Big Sur. Lloyd was compelled to help introduce this gifted artist to the world.
June 1981 was when he made his first of many performances on the Lobero stage, followed by
extensive touring in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In the past decade, he has graced the Lobero stage
on a nearly annually basis.
2|Ghostlight Society Artistic Luminary: Charles Lloyd
In 1986, after being hospitalized with a nearly fatal medical condition, Lloyd rededicated himself to
music. When he regained his strength in 1988 he formed a new quartet with the renowned Swedish
pianist Bobo Stenson. Lloyd made his first recording for ECM Records, Fish Out of Water in 1989.
The project marked the beginning of a new wave of Lloyd compositions and recordings. More than
twenty years later, he is still with ECM, and still in search of the “sound” and the truth. In 2014 Lloyd
was honored as a Monterey Jazz Festival Jazz Legend, and in 2015 he received the NEA JazzMaster
Award. In January 2016, he will become the Lobero Theatre’s first Artistic Luminary.
Charles Lloyd maintains an active performance and recording schedule with the New Quartet
(featuring Jason Moran, Reuben Rogers and Eric Harland) and Sangam (with Eric Harland and Zakir
Hussain). He has been writing an opera about the life and trial of his grandfather, Ben Ingram, and
collaborates with poets Charles Simic, Michael McClure, and Kamau Daaood.
Lobero Theatre Foundation
Since its inception, and with founding leadership by the Community Arts Music Association, the
Lobero Theatre has been a cornerstone for live performances in Santa Barbara since 1873. Its
celebrated jazz reputation began in 1949 and continues with the hottest musicians on today’s circuit.
The Lobero is equally treasured for vibrant presentations as well as its architectural pedigree. Recent
renovations such as new seats, expanded restrooms, and other upgrades ensure it will remain a
cherished community resource for many years to come.
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3|Ghostlight Society Artistic Luminary: Charles Lloyd