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Source: Europe Jazz Network - MUSICIANS
Biography
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 saxophonistTony "Big T" LOVANO, schooled Joe not only in the basics but in dynamicsand interpretation, and regularly exposed him to jazz artists travelingthrough such as Sonny STITT, James MOODY, Dizzy GILLESPIE, Lester YOUNG,and Rasaahn Roland KIRK. While still a teenager he immersed himself in thejam-session culture of Cleveland where organ trios where common and Texastenor throw-downs a rite of passage. In high school he began to absorb thefree jazz experiments of Ornette COLEMAN, John COLTRANE and Jimmy GIUFFRE, and was greatly affected by the interaction which occurred between themusicians.
Upon graduation from high school he attended the famed Berklee School ofMusic in Boston where he met and began playing with such future collaboratorsas John SCOFIELD, Bill FRISELL and Kenny WERNER. He had been searching for away to incorporate the fire and spirituality of late-period John COLTRANE into more traditional settings. At Berklee he discovered modal harmony: "Mytraining was all be-bop, and suddenly there were these open forms withdeceptive resolutions. That turned me on, the combination of that soundand 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" fromBerklee.
Joe's first professional job after Berklee was, not surprisingly given hisroots, with organist Lonnie SMITH, which brought him to New York for hisrecording debut, followed by a stint with Brother Jack McDUFF. This seguedinto a three year tour with the Woody HERMAN Thundering Herd from 1976 to1979, culminating in "The 40th Anniversary Concert" at Carnegie Hall, whichalso featured Stan GETZ, Zoot SIMS, Flip PHILLIPS and Al COHN.
After leaving the Herman Herd, Joe settled in New York City where hecontinues to live. His early years there were filled with jam sessions andrent gigs, but eventually he joined the Mel LEWIS Orchestra for its regularMonday night concert al the Village Vanguard, playing from 1980 to 1992 andrecording six albums with the Orchestra. In addition he worked with ElvinJONES, Carla BLEY, Lee KONITZ, Charlie HADEN and Bob BROOKMEYER, among others, eventually joining the modern drummer Paul MOTIAN's band in 1981.His first high-profile gig that brought him national attention was withguitarist John SCOFIELD's Quartet, with whom he recorded and toured forthree years. Of his playing SCOFIELD says, "He's very sonically aware - hethinks about the effect different instruments and different personalitieswill have. He was perfect for what I was doing - his sense of swing and histone reminded me of the older guys, in a really positive way". He gainedfurther exposure and renown, particularly in Europe, through his work in thetrailblazing Paul MOTIAN Trio, which also former Berklee classmate, guitaristBill FRISELL.
Beginning in 1991 with his first engagement as a leader (at the Village Vanguard), Joe has experimented with different ensembles which reflect hissearching and dynamic personality. As much a composer as player, Joe isconstantly seeking new ways to express his muse. Out of his thinking,wrinting and playing he has come to work, as a leader, with two basicensembles - a piano-less Quartet and the Universal Language Sextet. The sextet(which name derives from its Blue Note debut 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 astrumpeter Tim HAGANS and pianist Kenny WERNER. The critical response to theSextet's album and live concerts has been extraordinary, with Downbeatgiving it a 5 star review which was considered so exceptional it was reprintedin their recent 60th Anniversary Issue. The Quartet in person features eitherTom HARRELL or Tim HAGANS on trumpet, along with Anthony COX on bass andBilly HART on drums. A recent live recording from the Village Vanguard was in the Fall of 1995 on Blue Note in a special double Live atthe Village Vanguard CD including a more recent recording from the same club with a quartet including Mulgrew MILLER, Christian McBRIDE and LewisNASH. Joe's 1994 release, Tenor Legacy (Blue Note, 27014) which featurestenor saxophonist Joshuah REDMAN, received wide critical acclaim, culminatingin a Grammy nomination for "Best Jazz Small Group Recording".Predictably unpredictable, Joe's albums, Rush Hour (Blue Note 29629),released in early 1995, reflects his restless searching and desire to expandhis musical palette. It features his tenor saxophone with voice, string andwoodwind ensembles arranged and conducted by the legendary Gunther SCHULLER,in compositions by Charles MINGUS, Ornette COLEMAN, Thelonious MONK, DukeELLINGTON, 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".
With both the jazz audience and the critics increasingly recognizing Joe LOVANO's unique voice as a tenor player, leader, and composer, Joe and hisvarious albums have over the past several years placed consistently in theTop 10 in Down Beat, Musician, and JazzTimes, culminating in his being giventhe top tenor award in this year's JazzTimes Readers Poll, while Tenor Legacy (Blue Note 27014) was selected Record of the Year in Italy's MusicaJazz.
He also recently released a tribute album to Frank SINATRA.
A recent feature in Downbeat characterized Joe as "The man whom we believeto be at the top of the heap of modern tenor saxophonists".
Biography courtesy of Saudades Tourneen.
Joe LOVANO has been associated with several Belgian musicians, such as Michel HERR (p), Bert JORIS (tp), Dré PALLEMAERTS (drs) (CD "Solid Steps" on the Jazz Club label). He was guest soloist with ACT Big Band on the CD "Extremes" (Igloo Igl 044), and on the "Rhythm Sphere" CD (Igloo Igl 117) of Eric LEGNINI (p), etc...
As a leader:
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