CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET at the WILLIAMSTOWN JAZZ FESTIVAL

Ken Kesey said it: “You’re either on the bus or off the bus.” That pretty much sums up the Charles Lloyd Quartet, who blew (and freed) many minds in Chapin Hall Saturday night. From the snake-charmer opening of “The Sufi’s Tears” – a cut from his latest disc, Jumping The Creek (ECM) – Lloyd and Co. put the audience on unspoken notice: “This is going to be a challenge, for you and for us. We’re up for it. How about you?” Those who took up the challenge were stunned, then mesmerized, then elated, rewarding the quartet’s sublime performance with two standing ovations.

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