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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 yearsBorn 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, then served a big band apprenticeship with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
Cleveland tenorman "Big T" Lovano, was his son''s first inspiration, teaching him all the standards, how to lead a gig, pace a set, and 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 workOne 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.
In 1993, at the suggestion of musicologist Gunther Schuller, fellow Clevelander and bebop guitar legend Bill DeArango recorded the album "Anything Went" with Lovano. "He was a major mentor for all of us round here," said Lovano. In 1999, having developed dementia, DeArango was taken into a nursing home, where Lovano visited him on December 26, 2005. Two hours after Lovano left, De Arango died. "He knew we were there," said Lovano. "His heartbeat raced. He knew we were there."
He is currently a jazz artist on the international level. His live work, specifically Quartets: Live 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 2007 entitled Kids. Lovano also currently leads his quartet with Berklee Faculty and students Esperanza Spalding, James Weidman, and Otis Brown.
He has been the teacher of Jeff Coffin after the latter received an NEA Jazz Studies Grant in 1991.
The tone of Lovano along with his rhythmic and melodic genius is greatly derivative of Getz. His interpretation of Ellington's "Sounds of Love" is a classic.
Joe Lovano has been playing Borgani saxophones since 1991 and exclusively since 1999. He has his own series called Borgani-Lovano, which uses Pearl-Silver Alloy with Gold 24K keys.
Appears in Noah Buschel's film The Missing Person, with Academy Award Nominees Amy Ryan and Michael Shannon.
DiscographyAs 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
- Masada Quintet: Stolas: The Book of Angels Volume 12 (2009) with John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Uri Caine, Greg Cohen and Joey Baron
TV Appearances- SOLOS: The Jazz Sessions (2004)
DVDs- Jazz Improvisation (2003)
- The Paris Concert (2006)
Copyright Citations
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