Joe Lovano

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Joe Lovano

---

Img_capt = Photo by Ed Newman
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1952|12|29
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Died =
Origin =
Instrument = Tenor Saxophone
Alto saxophone
C melody saxophone
Clarinet
Flute
Voice_type =
Genre = Post bop
Occupation =
Years_active =
Label =
Associated_acts = Saxophone Summit
SF Jazz Collective
McCoy Tyner Quartet
Shades of Jazz
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments = Tenor Saxophone

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 [http://www.borgani.com 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

TV Appearances

*"SOLOS: the jazz sessions" (2004) Bravo! Canada

DVDs

*"Jazz Improvisation" (2003)
*"The Paris Concert" (2006)

External links

* [http://www.joelovano.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.streamsofexpression.com Streams of Expression Video Scrapbook]
* [http://www.borgani.com Borgani saxophones - as played by J.Lovano]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91618666 Joe Lovano at NPR Music]