While the “nature v. nurture” argument may rage for years to come, two respected musical patriarchs showed that regardless of which is the more important, nature and nurture in tandem are a most formidable combination. Oliver Lake (pictured right), a trailblazing elder statesman of jazz, and Ravi Shankar (pictured below), the most celebrated Indian classical musician in the world, each performed at the Kennedy Center this past weekend with gifted progeny in tow. The result was two wonderful performances that had the added emotional dimension of being true family affairs.

The two gentlemen took different approaches in presenting their children. Lake simply announced the names of his two sons, drummer Gene Lake and turntablist Jahi Sundance Lake, and left it to the audience to make the connection. On the other hand, Shankar announced his daughter by introducing her as “my life, Anoushka.” Regardless, both concerts featured a parent who successfully passed on his musical tradition to offspring that have embraced that knowledge while still developing their individual voices.

Lake’s performance, his Kennedy Center debut, took place Friday night at the KC Jazz Club, a small room that tries to evoke the ambience of a storied jazz club. The Cadillac sponsorship keeps any sense of authenticity at bay, but is an unfortunate necessity as the concerts in this room are very reasonably priced given the caliber of the musicians that perform. While the club’s atmosphere might feel a bit artificial, it is a cozy sized room with clear sight lines and comfortably spaced seating. Characteristic of performances at the Kennedy Center, the sound was nearly flawless.

The band featured Lake on alto sax, his sons, who have spent time playing together in Me’shell N’Degeocello’s band, trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, and B-3 organist Jared Gold. The turntablist, who proved extraneous in the more traditional tunes, shined on the more experimental pieces by providing strong textural underpinnings and some choice samples. Organist Gold laid down a lush harmonic cushion that proved an effective contrast to the sharp and angular approach of the two horn players and drummer Gene Lake.

Image of Oliver Lake from his website; Image of Ravi Shankar from the Washington Performing Arts Society website