Joe Lovano US Five at 42nd International Jazzweek Burghausen 2011

Joe Lovano, Saxophones
James Weidman, Piano
James Weidman, Bass
Otis Brown III, Drums
Francisco Mela, Drums

recorded live at Wackerhalle, Burghausen, March 24, 2011

1. US Five/ Folk Art (Joe Lovano)
2. Yardbird Suite (Charlie Parker)
3. Lover Man (Jimmy Davis, Roger Ramirez, James Sherman)
4. Ko-Ko/ Drum Song (Charlie Parker)
5. Spiritual/ Mystic (John Coltrane/ Joe Lovano)
6. Viva Caruso (Joe Lovano)
7. Donna Lee (Charlie Parker)

“I didn’t approach this as a tribute record,” states Joe Lovano, dispelling right off the bat any preconception that his new album Bird Songs—an exploration of the Charlie Parker songbook—is a mere retread. Lovano’s 22nd album for Blue Note Records (the release of which will mark his 20th year on the label) breaks the mold of Bird tribute records. Bird Songs is a thrillingly adventurous, thoroughly modern, and uniquely personal look at one of the most influential figures in jazz history by one of the most important voices in the music today. Us Five turned out to be the perfect vehicle for his exploration. Lovano’s dynamic young band—which features drummers Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela, bassist Esperanza Spalding, and pianist James Weidman—has been captivating audiences around the world for several years now. Their debut recording—2009’s Folk Art—was a wide-ranging set of Lovano’s original compositions that resulted in Us Five being awarded Best Small Ensemble of the Year at the 2010 JJA Jazz Awards and winning the Best Jazz Group of the Year category in the 2010 DownBeat Critics Poll. Lovano completed a double-triple of awards by also winning the JJA’s Musician and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year, and DownBeat’s Jazz Artist and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. “Putting this recording together I kept wondering how Bird would have developed within these tunes, not just as the incredible soloist that he was but as an arranger and band leader. From what we know about him it is clear that he was into the world of music beyond so called Jazz and Be Bop and I’m sure we would have all been surprised at every turn in his approach just as we were with Miles, Coltrane, Rollins and Coleman, four of his most distinguished and celebrated disciples. At the young age of 34 Charlie Parker passed and left us with all of these questions about what would be. This recording is my humble attempt to answer some of those questions in my own way.”

Joe Lovano Nonet: Birth of the Cool & More - live at German Jazzfestival Frankfurt 2009

Photo Credit: Jimmy Katz

Joe Lovano, ts, alto-cl, aulochrome
Steve Slagle, as, ss, fl
Ralph Lalama, ts, cl
Gary Smulyan, bs, bcl
Barry Ries, tp
Larry Farrell, tb
James Weidman, p
Cameron Brown, b
Lewis Nash, dr

recorded live at 40th German Jazzfestival, HR Sendesaal, 

Frankfurt am Main/Germany, October 29, 2009

1. Streams of Expressions
2. Streams of Expressions: Cool (Pt.II)
3. Prelude/ Moon Dreams
4. Move

Streams of Expression, Lovano's 18th album for Blue Note Records, unites disparate themes from his own discography, not to mention jazz history as a whole.
Streams of Expression reunites Lovano with the great composer, conductor, and musicologist Gunther Schuller (their first collaboration was Rush Hour, Blue Note, 1995), and draws upon everything from the cool school to late-era Coltrane, offering a holistic take on jazz, present and future. The album is comprised of two extended, multipart pieces (Streams of Expression Suite, Birth of the Cool Suite) and three stand-alone tunes (Blue Sketches, Buckeyes, Big Ben) and features an augmented incarnation of Lovano's nonet from the albums 52nd Street Themes (2000) and On this Day . . . At the Vanguard (2003). Three of the tracks showcase Lovano in a trio setting, recalling his Trio Fascination series, regarded as a contemporary classic.