SONOKLECT '06-'07 A Concert Series of Modern Music

TERRY VosBEIN, DIRECTOR

Joe Lovano Quartet

WnsoNHALL

LENFEST CENTER FOR THE ARTS

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY

30 SEPTEMBER 2006 8:00 P.M.

PROGRAM

SET 1

- INTERMISSION -

SET 2

Joe Lovano, tenor sax James Weidman, piano

Esperanza Spalding, bass Francisco Mela, drums

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Joe Lovano

You mi ght th ink by glancin g ov er the list of accolades ga rne red by saxophoni st/compo ser Joe Lovano , that this ren owned mu sician has found a tried -and -tru e formul a for success, and that he has. Unlik e lesser arti sts who w ill take what see ms to wor k for them and keep com ing back w ith more of the same, the secre t to Lovano's success is his fearless ability to always cha llenge and pu sh the concep tual and themat ic choices he mak es in a ques t for new modes of artistic exp ression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom .

Comin g this summ er is a dynami c live recordin g by the Gramm y-winnin g Joe Lovano Nonet. Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard , this swi ng ing dat e sho ws off incend iary ch arts and hip impro visation of one of Lovano 's mo st acclaimed ensembles.

One of the mo st antici pated jazz proj ects of the new yea r hit the streets in Januar y of 2003- Oh! by ScoLoH oFo. The dynamic all-star co-op find s Joe Lovano in caho ots w ith John Scofield, Dave Holland and Al Foster for a program of origina l compo sitions from each of the leaders ' pens. This impres s ive line-up of some of the most acclaimed mu sicians of the pa st 25 years is a natur a l. They ha ve all per formed toge ther in a variety of situations but never all at once until the formation of th is group for a dat e at the Montr eal Jazz Festival. On tour and on record they create a new jazz alchemy from the symbioti c relations hip of four of the most distinctive improvisat ional voices in the world tod ay.

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Joe Lovano was born in Clevel and, Oh io in 1952 and began playing alto sax as a ch ild . A prophetic ear ly fam ily photo is of the infant Joe cradled in his mot her's arms along with a sax. H is father, tenor saxophonis t Tony "Big T" Lovano, schooled Joe not on ly in the basics but in dy namics an d interpretation and reg ularly expo sed him to jazz artists traveling through such as Sonny Stitt, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Amm ons and Rahsaa n Roland Kirk. While still a teenager he immerse d himself in the jam-sess ion cu ltu re of Clevela nd wh ere orga n trios were comm on and Texas teno r th row-dow ns a rite of passage. In high schoo l he began to absorb the free jazz experim ents of Ornette Coleman , John Coltrane an d Jimm y Giuffre, and wa s grea tly affected by the inter action wh ich occu rred between th e musicians.

Upon grad uat ion from high schoo l he attend ed the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston where he met and began playing w ith future collaborators such as John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Kenn y Werner. He had been searchin g for a way to incorpor ate the fire and spiritu ality of late-period John Coltrane into mor e traditional sett ings . At Berklee he discovered moda l harm ony: "My train ing was all be-bop , and su dd en ly ther e were these open form s wit h decep tive reso luti on s. That turn ed me on, the combin ation of that sou nd and w hat I came in there w ith. I knew what I wanted to work on after that." In 1994 Joe was given the p restigious "Distinguished Alumni Award" from Berklee and was awa rded an hon orary doct orate in 1998. Berklee also awa rde d Joe the first "Gary Burton Chair for Jazz Per formance" in 2001.

Joe's first professional job after Berkl ee was, not surprisingly given his roots, w ith organist Lonni e Smith , which brought him to New York for his recordi ng d ebut , followed by a stint with Bro ther Jack McDu ff. This segued into a three-year tou r with the Woody Herman Thund ering H erd from 1976 to 1979, culm inating in "The 40th Anni versary Concert" at Carn eg ie Hall, whic h also features som e of Joe's heroes and fellow saxo phoni sts Stan Getz, Zoo t Sims, Flip Ph illips, Al Cohn and Jimmy Giuffre.

After leaving the Herman He rd , Joe settled in New York City w here he continu es to live. His early years there filled w ith jam sess ions and rent gigs, but eve nt ua lly he joined the Mel Lew is Orc hes tra for its regu lar Mond ay ni ght concer t at the Village Vangua rd, p lay ing from 1980 to 1992 and recordin g six album s w ith the Orchestra. In addition he joined th e Paul Motian band in 1981 an d has wo rked wi th John Scofield , Herbie Hancock, Elvin Jones, Charlie Haden, Carla Bley, Bobby Hu tcherson, Billy Higgins , Dave Ho llan d, Ed Blackwe ll, Miche l Petru cciani , Lee Konit z, Abbey Lincoln, Tom Har rell, McCoy Tyner, Jim Ha ll, Bob Brookm eyer and many more.

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His first high-profi le gig that brought him national attention was with guitarist John Scofield's Quartet, with whom he recorded and toured for three years. Of his playing Scofie ld says, "He's very sonically aware - he thinks about the effect different instruments and different personalities will have. He was perfect for what I was doing-his sense of swing and his tone reminded me of the older guys, in a really positive way." He gained further exposure and renown, particularly in Europe, through his work in the trail-blazing Paul Motian Trio, which a lso featured former Berklee class ma te, gu itarist Bill Frisell.

Lovano's debut Blue Note release Landmarks (Blue Note 96108) was released in 1991 and featured guitarist John Abercro mbie. Joe's first engagemen t as a leade r (at the Village Vanguard), coincided with the re lease of tha t record. The critically acclaimed From the Soul (Blue Note 98636) followe d with Michel Petrucciani, Dave Holland and the legendary Ed Blackwell. Recently, readers of AIIAboutJazz.com voted From the Soul #34 in thei r all-time Top 100 Jazz CDs po ll. Joe has long experimented with different ensembles, which reflects his searching and dynamic personality. As much a composer as player, Joe is constantly seeking new ways to express his muse.

His third Blue Note album Universal Language (Blue Note 99830) features the soprano voice of Judi Silvano, whose wordless voca ls mesh beautifully in both ensemble and improv ised passages with Joe, as well as trumpeter Tim Hagans and pianist Kenny Werner. His next album, the 1994 release Tenor Legacy (Blue Note 27014), features tenor saxophonist Josh Redman, and received wide critica l acclaim, cu lminating in a Grammy nomination for "Best Jazz Small Group Recording."

Predictably unpredictab le, Joe's Rush Hour (Blue Note 29629), released in ear ly 1995, reflects his rest less searching and desire to expand his musical pa lette . It features his tenor saxophone with voice, str ing and woodwind ensembles arranged and conducted by the legendary Gunther Schuller, in composi tions by Char les Mingus, Ornette Coleman, The lon ious Monk, Duke Ellingto n, Gun ther Schu ller and Joe Lovano. As CD Rev iew's "Disc of the Mon th" stated, "Music doesn't get any better than this. This disc is a wonder." Joe and Gu nther subsequen tly collaborated on the score for a Showt ime movie, "Face Down," which starred Joe Montegna.

Joe Lovano ended 1996 with Joe Lovano Quartets at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note 29125), winning "Jazz Album of the Year" in the 1996 Down Beat Readers Poll. Recorded at two separate engagemen ts at the historic Village Vanguard in New York City, the special set features Joe with Mulgrew Miller, Chr istian McBride and Lewis Nash on one CD, and with Tom Harrell, Anthony Cox and Billy Hart on the other . Down Beat Magazine's 5-star review says simply, 'The Vanguard sessions are extraordinary."

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Joe bega n 1997 with two Gra mm y nomination s for the Village Vanguard reco rdin g and th e release of his mos t eage rly ant icipa ted Joe Lovano Celebrating Sinatra (Blue Note CDP 37718) w ith Joe's tenor sax su rrou nd ed by string quartet, woodw ind quint et, voice and rhythm section in ar rangements by Manny Albam. As Peter Watro us in the New York Times observed, "This is a per fectly ba lanced piece of wo rk, quiet chamber jazz at its best, w ith Mr. Lovano's od d phr as ing, with its halts and ve locity, taking the mu sic somew here new."

Joe Lovano rolled into 1998 w ith yet another Gramm y nomin ation - for foe Lovano Celebrating Sinatra - and the release of yet another compl etely different recordin g, Flying Colors (Blue Note CDP 56092), a du o albu m w ith the grea t Cuban pianist Gonza lo Rub alcaba. In a four-star review the Los Angeles Times said, "Each piece reveals yet another perspective on the talent of two extraordin ary p layers, clea rly inspir ed by the settin g and each oth er, creatin g som e of the finest jazz in recen t mem ory."

Joe followed Flying Colors with the fiery release Trio Fascination: Edition One (Blue Note CDP 33114) fea turin g what is arguably the finest rhythm section in jazz, drumm er Elvin Jones and bassis t Dave Holland . The Times of London noted, "In Joe Lova no, a player firmly ground ed in swin g values yet discernin gly alive to sub seq uent deve lopm ents from Charlie Park er throu gh Coltrane to Ornett e Co leman, the trio format has foun d one of its most natura l expon ents sin ce Sonn y Rollins or Joe Henders on ... th is is sta te-of-the-a rt trio jazz ."

In 1999, Lovano's collaboration wit h fellow Blue Note recordin g a rtist alto saxoph onis t Greg Osby Friendly Fire (Blue Note CDP 99125) garnered critical acclaim. Featu ring Joe's tour ing rhythm section Cam eron Brown on bass and Idr is Muh ammad on d rum s along w ith Greg and his frequ en t pianist Jason Moran, the mu sic on thi s release is an exciting blend of Lovano's pass ionate soulfuln ess and Osby's angu lar precision. The disc featur es three original compo sition s by each of the leade rs and di stinctive arran gement s of "Serene" by Eric Do lph y and "Broa dw ay Blues" by Orn ette Co leman. "Monk 's Mood" by Theloniou s Monk is cast as a duet performan ce betwee n Lovano and Mor an.

Joe followed Friendly Fire with his bu sies t and most crea tive yea r yet. Lovano jump ed into the new millennium with the gorg eou s release, 52nd Street Themes (Blue Note CDP 96667). Recorded with a stellar cast of mu sicians, the charts penn ed by Joe and legendar y Cleve land arranger Willie "Face" Smith, are jazz class ics recas t for ensembl es as large as Non et. The accla imed sess ion featu res comp os itions by som e of the art form 's great est compose rs. Winn er of a Gramm y for "Bes t Large Jaz z Ensembl e Albu m," 52nd Street Themes, Joe's tribute to the days when swing and bebop co-mingled freely, can be found on many critic's Best of 2000 lists. From a

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five-star revi ew, Down Beat: " ... [Lovano's] most important and most fully realized recording to date .... He plays here with a balance of imaginative abandon and technical control that has not been heard since John Coltrane ... " CMJ reported: " ... The release has a vintage bop sound and the individual performances here boasts a gentle, reverent feel that masterfully recaptures those bygone days when giants walked the earth and played 'the street'."

In 2001, Joe received "Jazz Artist of the Year" honors for the 3rd time in both Critic's & Reader's polls in Down Beat magazine spurred by his acclaimed re turn to the trio format on Flights of Fane1;: Trio Fascination, Edition Two (Blue Note CDP 27618). Here Joe gathers four unique ensembles of some of his favorite collaborators for a distincti vely varied take on the jazz trio . Joe, who is featured on not only a panoply of woodwinds but on drums, gongs and percussion, is joined by trio mates: Cameron Brown (bass) & Idris Muhammad (drums); Billy Drewes (soprano, alto flute, percussion) & Joey Baron ( drums); Toots Thielemans (harmonica) & Kenny Werner (piano); Mark Dresser (bass) & Dave Douglas (trumpet). Combined with Lovano's multi-instrumental facility the sonic palette these trios utilize is stunning in its scope. "The different trios that came out of these sessions were, for me, an expression of who I am as a music ian," Lovano says.

In his 2002 Blue Note release, Lovano explores the music one of the greatest musica l figures of our time on Viva Caruso (Blue Note CDP 35986). Featuring both an "Opera House Ensemble" (up to 12 pieces) and a "Street Band"-comprised of stellar improvisers such as Gil Goldstein, Ed Schuller, Billy Drewes, Joey Baron, Judi Silvano and others. The a lbum finds Lovano investigating many of the popular melodies made famous by the Italian tenor, songs Joe's grandparents brought with them from Italy just after the turn of the century when Caruso was tour ing the world as the first international solo artist to do so. "In the tradit ion of Bird's 'Whi te Chr istmas' and Sonny Rollins ' 'Toot Toot Tootsie '," Lovano notes, "the cha llenge was to take these well -known melodies and try to make them my own."

With arranger/orchestrator Byron Olson, Lovano utilizes a variety of settings to bring this project to fruition. "The idea was to try and interpret this music in a way that's free and organic," he says, "and to put myself into Caruso's world." Viva Caruso, which will be released in time for the centenary of Caruso's first recording, is a decided ly unique and forward looking homage to one of the greatest of mu sical talents by one of today's most acclaimed jazz artists.

As the Village Voice proclaimed, "Move over Pavarotti, the great Italian tenor around today isn't Luciano, but Lovano."

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