JOE LOVANO

"Jazz Artist of the Year" 1995 & 1996 Down Beat Critics Poll & Readers Poll
"Tenor Player of the Year" 1995 Down Beat Readers Poll
"Album of the Year" Rush Hour 1995 Down Beat Critics & Readers Poll
"Album of the Year" Quartets Live at the Village Vanguard 1996 Down Beat Readers Poll
1994 Grammy Nominee Best Jazz Small Group Album for Tenor Legacy
1995 Grammy Nominee Best Large Ensemble for Rush Hour
1996 Grammy Nominee Best Jazz, Small Group Album and Jazz Solo for Quartets Live at the Village Vanguard
1997 Grammy Nominee Best Instrumental Performance for Celebrating Sinatra

Joe Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952, and began playing alto sax as a child. A prophetic early family photo is of the infant Joe cradled in his mother's arms along with a sax. His father, tenor saxophonist Tony "Big T" Lovano, schooled Joe not only in the basics but in dynamics and interpretation, and regularly exposed him to jazz artists traveling through such as Sonny Stitt, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. While still a teenager he immersed himself in the jam-session culture of Cleveland where organ trios were common and Texas tenor throw-downs a rite of passage. In high school he began to absorb the free jazz experiments of Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Jimmy Giuffre, and was greatly affected by the interaction which occurred between the musicians.

Upon graduation from high school he attended the famed Berklee School of Music in Boston where he met and began playing with such future collaborators as John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Kenny Werner. He had been searching for a way to incorporate the fire and spirituality of late-period John Coltrane into more traditional settings. At Berklee he discovered modal harmony: "My training was all be-bop, and suddenly there were these open forms with deceptive resolutions. That turned me on, the combination of that sound and what I came in there with. I knew what I wanted to work on after that." In 1994 Joe was given the prestigious "Distinguished Alumni Award" from Berklee. 

Joe's first professional job after Berklee was, not surprisingly given his roots, with organist Lonnie Smith, which brought him to New York for his recording debut, followed by a stint with Brother Jack McDuff. This segued into a three year tour with the Woody Herman Thundering Herd from 1976 to 1979, culminating in "The 40th Anniversary Concert" at Carnegie Hall, which also featured Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Flip Phillips and Al Cohn.

After leaving the Herman Herd Joe settled in New York City where he continues to live. His early years there were filled with jam sessions and rent gigs, but eventually he joined the Mel Lewis Orchestra for its regular Monday night concert at the Village Vanguard, playing from 1980 to 1992 and recording six albums with the Orchestra. In addition he worked with Elvin Jones, Carla Bley, Lee Konitz, Charlie Haden and Bob Brookmeyer, among others, eventually joining the modern drummer Paul Motion's band in 1981.

His first high-profile gig that brought him national attention was with guitarist John Scofield's Quartet, with whom he recorded and toured for three years. Of his playing Scofield says, "He's very sonically aware - he thinks about the effect different instruments and different personalities will have. He was perfect for what I was doing - his sense of swing and his tone reminded me of the older guys, in a really positive way." He gained further exposure and renown, particularly in Europe, through his work in the trailblazing Paul Motian Trio, which also features former Berklee classmate, guitarist Bill Frisell.

Beginning in 1991 with his first engagement as a leader (at the Village Vanguard), Joe has experimented with different ensembles which reflect his searching and dynamic personality. As much a composer as player, Joe is constantly seeking new ways to express his muse. His second Blue Note album Universal Language features the soprano voice of Judi Silvano, whose wordless vocals mesh beautifully in both ensemble and improvised passages with Joe, as well as trumpeter Tim Hagans and pianist Kenny Werner. The critical response to the Sextet's album and live concerts has been extraordinary, with Down Beat giving it a five star review which was considered so exceptional it was reprinted in their recent 60th Anniversary Issue. His next album, the 1994 release Tenor Legacy (Blue Note 27014), features tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, and received wide critical acclaim, culminating in a Grammy nomination for "Best Jazz Small Group Recording." 

Predictably unpredictable, Joe's Rush Hour (Blue Note 29629), released in early 1995, reflects his restless searching and desire to expand his musical palette. It features his tenor saxophone with voice, string and woodwind ensembles arranged and conducted by the legendary Gunther Schuller, in compositions by Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Gunther Schuller and Joe Lovano. As CD Review's "Disc of the Month", stated, "Music doesn't get any better than this. This disc is a wonder." In support of this historic release Joe toured most of 1995 with a group created to perform music from the album. Called the "Symbiosis Quintet" it features Joe along with voice, cello, bass and drums.

Joe Lovano ended 1996 with, Quartets at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note 29125 2), winning "Jazz Album of the Year" in the 1996 Down Beat Readers Poll. Recorded at two separate engagements at the historic Village Vanguard in New York City, the special set features Joe with Mulgrew Miller, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash on one CD, and with Tom Harrell, Anthony Cox and Billy Hart on the other. Down Beat Magazine's five-star review says simply "The Vanguard sessions are extraordinary." Joe and Gunther subsequently collaborated on the score for a Showtime movie, "Face Down'" which starred Joe Montegna.

Joe began 1997 with two Grammy nominations for the Village Vanguard recording and the release of his most eagerly anticipated Celebrating Sinatra (Blue Note CDP 37718) with Joe's tenor sax surrounded by string quartet, woodwind quintet, voice and rhythm section in arrangements by Manny Albam. As Peter Watrous in the New York Times observed, "It's a perfectly balanced piece of work, quiet chamber jazz at its best, with Mr. Lovano's odd phrasing, with its halts and velocity, taking the music somewhere new."

Joe Lovano began 1998 with yet another Grammy nomination for Joe Lovano Celebrating Sinatra and the release of yet another completely different recording, Flying Colors (Blue Note CDP 56092), a duo album with the great Cuban pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba. In a four star review the Los Angeles Times said, "Each piece reveals yet another perspective on the talent of two extraordinary players, clearly inspired by the setting and each other, creating some of the finest jazz in recent memory."

Joe's release Trio Fascination (Blue Note 33142) features what is arguably the finest rhythm section in jazz, drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Dave Holland. The Times of London noted "In Joe Lovano, a player firmly grounded in swing values yet discerningly alive to subsequent developments from Charlie Parker through Coltrane to Ornette Coleman, the trio format has found one of its most natural exponents since Sonny Rollins or Joe Henderson. . . this is state-of-the-art trio jazz."

A recent collaboration is Friendly Fire (Blue Note 98125) with reedman Greg Osby in a high-energy exchange that echoes the great sax duels of the Fifties.
His latest collaboration project, 52nd Street Themes (Blue Note 96667) holds a deep, personal meaning for Joe. It's as if he has worked his entire life to prepare for the work of this past year - culminating in the rich, expansive Nonet charts of 52nd Street Themes.
Of special interest to music schools and departments will be the opportunity to bring in Joe with his trio and then add six student musicians for workshops and residencies focused around the project. Joe says, "When we play gigs, it's going to be combinations of the Nonet throughout the evening, not just the band sound all the time. Each personality in the ensemble emerges as a solo voice; I wanted a band where everybody isn't just sitting around playing parts - everyone contributes to this joyous celebration. It's organized in a way where we're trying to shape the music together and complement each other. You see for me this Nonet is the beginning of something special, a traveling ensemble where we can draw upon players and the amazing amount of repertoire that's out there. 52nd Street Themes is the beginning of something that's going to grow. It's all about playing together-the community of musicians, and how we can create music as an ensemble."

Critics' Choice

"Move over Pavarotti, the greatest Italian tenor around today isn't Luciano, but Lovano." - Will Friedwald, The Village Voice

"Lovano . . . fully justifies the growing view of him as an important, world-class jazz talent." - Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

"the most heralded jazz musician of 1995." - Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe

"A master of his Promethean craft, the tenor saxophonist strikes a balance between passion and intellect as he ventures from the touchstone of lyricism to the outer limits of free expression." - Steve Dollar, Atlanta Journal

"he is surely one of the most exciting, a sublimely confident player with provocative musical ideas and the vigor to bring them crying forth." - Steve Dollar, Atlanta Journal

"... a savior has been slowly materializing in the Nineties-the astonishing tenor saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano." - Whitney Balliett, The New Yorker 

"No matter the mood or the tempo, Lovano delivered the kind of play that made one forget his prodigious technique and instead fall under the spell of his continually unfolding story line." - Bill Kohlhaase, Los Angeles Times

September 2002

---------------

Joseph Salvatore Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 29, 1952 and grew up in a very musical household. His dad, Tony, aka Big T, was a barber by day and a big-toned tenor player at night. “Big T,” along with his brothers Nick and Joe, other tenor players, and Carl, a bebop trumpeter, made sure Joe’s exposure to Jazz and the saxophone were early and constant.

Joe’s mom, Josephine, and her sister Rose were serious listeners, as well, His Mom remembers hearing Big T play opposite Stan Getz and Flip Phillips when they were engaged. And Aunt Rose went to hear Jazz at the Philharmonic with Ella Fitzgerald when they came through Cleveland.

Not surprisingly, Joe began playing the alto at five, switching to the tenor a few years later. By the time he got his driver’s license at sixteen, Joe Lovano was a member of the Musician’s Union, Local 4, and working professionally. He started playing club dates (sometimes subbing for his dad), and Motown cover bands, eventually saving enough money from these gigs to put himself through college. 

"My dad was a fantastic saxophone player with a really deep passion for the music. I grew up with his record collection and when I was a teenager, he'd bring me around to rehearsals and jam sessions.

---------------

Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born 29 December 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls. He is married to jazz singer Judi Silvano.

Early years

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Lovano was exposed throughout his early life to jazz by his father, Tony "Big T" Lovano. John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Stitt were among his earlier influences. He developed further at Berklee College of Music where he studied under Herb Pomeroy and Gary Burton. Following this, he served a big band apprenticeship with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.

"Big T" Lovano, a fine Cleveland tenorman, was his first inspiration. He taught Joe all the standards, how to lead a gig, how to pace a set, and to be versatile enough to always find work. Joe started on alto at age six and switched to tenor five years later. He attended Berklee before working with Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. After three years with Woody Herman's Orchestra, Lovano moved to New York and began playing regularly with Mel Lewis’ Big Band. This influence is still present in his solos. He often plays lines that convey the rhythmic drive and punch of an entire horn section.

Recent work

One of the top saxophonists of the 1990s, Joe Lovano continues to grow and explore as a musician. He has a husky tenor tone and takes a modern approach to improvisation. In the early ‘80s he began working in John Scofield’s Quartet and a bass-less trio with Paul Motian and Bill Frisell. Steeped in the tradition of Ornette Coleman, Motian’s recordings show off Lovano’s avant-garde abilities. Scofield’s Quartet straddled the line between “inside” and “outside”. These recordings feature some of Lovano’s best work.

Lovano has enduring musical partnerships with John Scofield and Paul Motian, having participated in some of their most noteworthy projects over the years.

He is currently a jazz artist on the international level. His live work, specifically Quarterts at the Village Vanguard, garnered a Down Beat "Jazz Album of the Year" award. Other releases include Trio Fascination and 52nd Street Themes. In the late 1990s, he formed the Saxophone Summit with Dave Liebman and Michael Brecker (now deceased, replaced with Ravi Coltrane). He played the tenor saxophone on the critically acclaimed 2007 McCoy Tyner album Quartet. In 2006 Lovano released Streams Of Expression, a tribute to two different genres of jazz, cool and free. He did this with the help of Gunther Schuller who contributed his "Birth Of The Cool Suite". In a surprise loss Lovano and his nonet did not win the Grammy for best large ensemble jazz record of 2006. Joe Lovano and Hank Jones released an album together in June of 2007 entitled Kids. Lovano also currently leads his quartet with Berklee Faculty and students Esperanza Spalding, James Weidman, and Otis Brown.

The tone of Lovano along with his rhythmic and melodic genius is greatly derivative of Getz. His interpretat ion of Ellington's "Sounds of Love" is a classic.

Joe Lovano exclusively plays Borgani saxophones.

Appears in Noah Buschel's film The Missing Person, with Academy Award Nominee Amy Ryan and Michael Shannon.

Discography

As leader

Tones, Shapes and Colors (1985)
Hometown Sessions (1986)
Solid Steps (1986)
Village Rhythms (1988)
Worlds (1989)
Landmarks (1990)
Sounds of Joy (1991)
From the Soul (1991)
Universal Language (1992)
Tenor Legacy (1993)
Quartets: Live at the Village Vanguard (1994) with Tom Harrell and Mulgrew Miller
Rush Hour (1994)
Ten Tales (1994)
Celebrating Sinatra (1996)
Tenor Time (1997)
Flying Colors (1997) with Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Trio Fascination: Edition One (1998)
Friendly Fire (1999) with Greg Osby
52nd Street Themes (2000)
Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination, Volume 2 (2001)
Viva Caruso (2002)
On This Day ... at the Vanguard (2003)
I'm All for You (2004)
Joyous Encounter (2005)
Streams of Expression (2006)

With Paul Motian and Bill Frisell

Psalm with Ed Schuller and Billy Drewes (1982) ECM
The Story of Maryam with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (1984) Soul Note
Jack of Clubs with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (1985) Soul Note
It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago (1985) trio
Misterioso with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (1986) Soul Note
One Time Out (1987) Soul Note
Monk in Motian (1988) trio + guests JMT
On Broadway Volume 1 (1989) JMT
Bill Evans (1990) JMT
On Broadway Volume 2 (1990) JMT
Motian in Tokyo (1991) trio JMT
On Broadway Volume 3 (1993) JMT
Trioism (1993) trio + guest JMT
Live at the Village Vanguard (1995) trio
Sound of Love (1995) trio (live) Winter & Winter
I Have the Room Above Her (2004) trio ECM
Time and Time Again (2006) trio ECM

Collaborations

Unknown Voyage (1985) with Furio Di Castri
Think Before You Think (1989) with Bill Stewart, Marc Cohen and Dave Holland
Snide Remarks (1995) with Bill Stewart, Eddie Henderson, Bill Carrothers and Larry Grenadier
Grand Slam (2000) with Jim Hall, George Mraz, and Lewis Nash
Fourth World (2001) with James Emery, Judi Silvano, and Drew Gress
ScoLoHoFo (2003) with John Scofield, Dave Holland, and Al Foster
Gathering of Spirits (2004) with Michael Brecker and Dave Liebman
Kids: Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (2007) with Hank Jones
Quartet (2007) with McCoy Tyner, Christian McBride and Jeff "Tain" Watts
Silverslide with Dan Silverman

---------------