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.”

John Scofield Quartet live at NDR Hamburg 1990

 

John Scofield, gt
Joe Lovano sax
Anthony Cox, b
John Riley, dr
recorded live at NDR Studio 10, Hamburg, October 8, 1990

1. Big Fan (John Scofield)
2. Let's Say We Did (John Scofield)
3. Evansville (John Scofield)
4. Chariots (John Scofield)
5. Mr. Coleman To You (John Scofield)
6. Wabash III (John Scofield)

"Meant To Be features guitarist John Scofield's 1990 pianoless quartet on eleven of his compositions. During the best selections (such as "Big Fun" and "Mr. Coleman To You") one can hear the influence of not just the original Ornette Coleman Quartet but the Keith Jarrett/Dewey Redman Quintet. Joe Lovano's increasingly original tenor sound (mixing together John Coltrane, Dewey Redman and even Eddie Harris on this set) works well with Scofield, and the tight but loose rhythm section (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart). "Eisenhower" (a slightly tongue-in-cheek, boppish romp) and "Some Nerve" (which uses New Orleans parade rhythms) are also memorable performances. The colorful and enjoyable set is modern mainstrem music of the 1990s, stretching ahead while holding on to the roots of hard bop, funk and fusion." - Scott Yanow, allmusicguide.com about the 1990 record "Meant To Be", released on Blue Note.

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.

Joe Lovano Quartet feat. Hank Jones live at JazzBaltica 2005

Joe Lovano - Tenor Saxophone
Hank Jones - Piano
George Mraz – Bass
Lewis Nash - Drums

recorded live at Große Konzertscheune Salzau, July 2, 2005

1. Bird´s Eye View (Lovano)
2. Don´t Ever Leave (Thad Jones)
3. I Waited For You (Gillespie)
4. Consummation (George Mraz)
5. Kids Are Pretty People (Thad Jones)
6. Stella By Starlight (Washington/Young)
7. I´m All For You (Joe Lovano)
8. Six And Four (Oliver Nelson)
9. Crescent (John Coltrane)

Joe Lovano and Hank Jones recorded a great Quartet album together with George Mraz and Paul Motian called "I´m All Four You" for Blue Note Records.

SF Jazz Collective live at Jazzbaltica 2007

SF Jazz Collective

Miguel Zenón (f, as)
Joe Lovano (ts)
Dave Douglas (t)
André Hayward (tb)
Stefon Harris (vib)
Renee Rosnes (p)
Matt Penman (b)
Eric Harland (d)

recorded live at Große Konzertscheune, Salzau, Germany, July 1, 2007

Tracklist:
1. Brilliant Corners (Thelonious Monk) / arr: Renee Rosnes
2. San Francisco Holiday [aka Worry Later] (Thelonious Monk) / arr: Miguel Zenón
3. Criss Cross (Thelonious Monk) / arr: Dave Douglas
4. Haast Pass (Matt Penman)
5. Oska T. (Thelonious Monk) / arr: Renee Rosnes
6. Alcatraz (Dave Douglas)/ Amoeba (Dave Douglas)
7. Assisi (Dave Douglas)
8. Peace Offering (André Hayward)
9. Union (Eric Harland)

In 2007 the SF Jazz Collective did its 4th annual concert tour, featuring a repertoire including the work of Thelonious Monk and original compositions by group members. As always they released a very hard to find record, due to its limited edition (3000 copies only!!).

Hank Jones & Joe Lovano "Kids" live at JazzBaltica 2008

Hank Jones, piano

Joe Lovano, tenor sax

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2008, Salzau, Germany, July 5, 2008

Tracklist:
1. Lady Luck
2. Ornithology
3. Kids Are Pretty People
4. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
5. In A Sentimental Mood
6. Oh! Look At Me Now!
7. Six And Four
8. Interview with Hank Jones

Tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and pianist Hank Jones make for a perfect combination on this set of live duets. They had played together on an occasional basis for the three years prior to this project, collaborating on the Joyous Encounter recording and in 2007 they released the Grammy nominated album "Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola" on Blue Note.
P.S. More photos from JazzBaltica by great photographer Oskar Henn you can find on www.oskar-henn.de

Dave Douglas: Letters from America at JazzBaltica 2008

Dave Douglas (Trumpet, Composer)
Joe Lovano (Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet)
James Genus (Bass)
Clarence Penn (Drums)
Simon Nabatov (Piano)
NDR Big Band
Dieter Glawischnig (Conductor)

Tracklist:
Letters From America
1. The Presidents
2. Dehyphenated Americans
3. Campaign Trail
4. Perilous Times
5. Lone Wolf
6. Pyrrhic Apology
7. Sunrise Highway
8. Change The Change
9. Blockbuster

Joe Lovano - Steve Kuhn Quartet: "Remembering John Coltrane" live at JazzBaltica 2008

Joe Lovano (Saxophone)
Steve Kuhn (Piano)
David Finck (Bass)
Joey Baron (Drums)

recorded live at JazzBaltica 2008, Salzau Germany

Tracklist:
1. Crescent
2. Fifth House
3. Configuration
4. Jimmy´s Mode
5. Spiritual
6. My Little Brown Book
7. Impressions
8. Interview with Joe Lovano and Steve Kuhn

A list of recordings by Joe Lovano can be found Here.

Joe Lovano "Sax Summit" feat. Ravi Coltrane & Dave Liebman live at JazzBaltica 2008

Joe Lovano – Tenor Saxophone
Ravi Coltrane – Tenor Saxophone
Dave Liebman – Tenor & Soprano Saxophone
Phil Markowitz – Piano
Cecil McBee – Bass
Billy Hart – Drums

recorded live at Jazz Baltica, Salzau, Germany, July 6, 2008

Tracklist:
1. Transitions (Markowitz)
2. Tricycle (Liebman)
3. The 13th Floor (Ravi Coltrane)
4. Seraphic Light/ Cosmos (John Coltrane)

Go and get the great studio album of this supergroup released on the Telarc label.

Ornette Coleman live at JazzBaltica 2008

Ornette Coleman - Alto Saxophone, Trumpet, Violin
Joe Lovano - Tenor Saxophone
Al McDowell - Acoustic Bass
Tony Falanga - Electric Bass
Denardo Coleman - Drums

recorded live at Jazz Baltica, Salzau, July 6, 2008

Tracks:
1. Following The Sound
2. Jordan
3. 911
4. Call To Duty
5. Turnaround
6. Out of Order
7. Bach
8. Those That Know Before It Happens
9. Waiting For You
10. Song World
11. Song X
12. Lonely Woman

This is the first post of some concerts of this year´s JazzBaltica Festival, one of Germany´s greatest Jazz Festivals. Ornette playing some of his signature tunes with a great line up.