Jump to content

Joe Lovano - General discussion


Alon Marcus

Recommended Posts

Probably one of the most influential and interesting tenors of our time. Always enjoy listening to his sophisticated and well crafted solo work. Can't agree with the common opinion that he sounds like Rollins. To me he is somewhere between Stan Getz (phrasing) and Ben Webster (sound) adding more contemporary tones.

Here is a short list of favorite Lovano for me

B000005H3G.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Celebrating Sinatra is an interesting record because of its diversity. The orchestrations by Manny Albam are very unusual and the small group cuts always have some zest inside. I love the duet with Foster on Chicago.

Here is a nice review on it in Amazon

Two all star projects that work nicely are his quartet with Scofield, Foster and Holland (one of my favorite albums) and the saxophone summit with Liebman and Brecker.

B00007KMNN.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

OH!

B0002M5T4S.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Gathering of Spirits

Next on my listening list with Lovano is the lovely Dameron project 52nd Street Themes and Rush Hour .

I'll be glad to here your opinions about him and to see some reviews and recommendations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 88
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Sorry to be negative, (and I'll stop with this comment) but I find Lovano to be pretty boring in the last few years. Maybe boring ie the wrong word and a little harsh, but he really hasn't shown me any soul and excitement in the last 5 years or so.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably one of the most influential and interesting tenors of our time.

i enjoy lovano's work very much, but i'm not sure if i totally agree with this statement. can you name some musicians who you feel bear the mark of lovano's influence?

No! :g

But I think the consistency and quality of his projects talk for themselves.

Edited by Alon Marcus
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find Lovano to be uneven but I do enjoy much of his work. The initial note in this thread mentions that the "common opinion" is that he sounds like Rollins. I've never heard anyone say that, nor seen such an assertion in print, and of course, IMO, he does not at all evoke the Rollins of any period from the '50s through the current time.

In any event, these are my three favorite Lovano albums, the last two of which constitute the nonet group:

c888406ks5b.jpg

e11312msghf.jpg

f95085fzop0.jpg

Edited by MartyJazz
Link to comment
Share on other sites

...The initial note in this thread mentions that the "common opinion" is that he sounds like Rollins.  I've never heard anyone say that, nor seen such an assertion in print,  and of course, IMO, he does not at all evoke the Rollins of any period from the '50s through the current time...

well then, you're hearing it from me. on record, and especially live, i hear rollins' influence in lovano's phrasing and the way he approaches standards. of course, i also hear the mark of coleman hawkins (maybe more so than ben webster), who had a considerable influence on sonny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...The initial note in this thread mentions that the "common opinion" is that he sounds like Rollins.  I've never heard anyone say that, nor seen such an assertion in print,  and of course, IMO, he does not at all evoke the Rollins of any period from the '50s through the current time...

well then, you're hearing it from me. on record, and especially live, i hear rollins' influence in lovano's phrasing and the way he approaches standards. of course, i also hear the mark of coleman hawkins (maybe more so than ben webster), who had a considerable influence on sonny.

Being influenced by someone and sounding like someone can be two different things. To say that Lovano has been influenced by Rollins is not saying much because practically every modern saxophonist has been influenced by Coltrane &/or Rollins. For example, I can hear Rollins' influence in the playing of Clifford Jordan, Joe Henderson, Branford Marsalis and even Archie Shepp but none of them sound like Rollins to me. In the same way, Lovano doesn't sound at all like Rollins to my ears no matter even if Newk is his main influence which I don't believe he is in any event.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with a lot of the above opinions.

I think Lovano is a great player, not an innovator, but he does have a unique sound.

Where I think he falls short is his writing, I wish that more of his compositions would grab me.

I have a number of cds where he is the leader and "from the soul" "landmarks" and the "Quartets:at the vanguard" (not the 52nd street band at the vanguard which had horrible sound) come to mind as being very good.

But I do agree with others who say that my favorite work of his is with the Paul Motian Trio.

Edited by skeith
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been a fan of Lovano since hearing him in John Scofield's quartet in the late eighties. His contributions to the Paul Motian group also caught my attention. For the most part I have enjoyed his Blue Note recordings, but some of his "concept" albums have been less appealing to me. I have not heard either of the discs with Hank Jones yet. I caught him live a couple of times and each time he was impressive. One in particular that comes to mind is a concert at Town Hall where he was a guest artist with Joshua Redman's group. He really showed the young lad how it is done that night.

One recording that I have always enjoyed that has not been mentioned is the Enja release, Sounds of Joy with Anthony Cox and Ed Blackwell.

Edited by relyles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find Lovano to be uneven but I do enjoy much of his work.  The initial note in this thread mentions that the "common opinion" is that he sounds like Rollins.  I've never heard anyone say that, nor seen such an assertion in print,  and of course, IMO, he does not at all evoke the Rollins of any period from the '50s through the current time.

In any event, these are my three favorite Lovano albums, the last two of which constitute the nonet group:

c888406ks5b.jpg

e11312msghf.jpg

f95085fzop0.jpg

Martin, I must say I like your selection of Lovano's best much more than Alon's. Love the Quartet set in particular. The Sinatra disc, on the other hand, gathers dust and sneers on my shelf...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with a lot of the above opinions.

I think Lovano is a great player, not an innovator, but he does have a unique sound.

Where I think he falls short is his writing, I wish that more of his compositions would grab me.

I have a number of cds where he is the leader and "from the soul" "landmarks" and the "Quartets:at the vanguard" (not the 52nd street band at the vanguard which had horrible sound) come to mind as being very good.

But I do agree with others who say that my favorite work of his is with the Paul Motian Trio.

I can't believe I forgot to mention the two latest records with Hank Jones, George Mraz and Paul Motian. They are great!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest akanalog

lovano is the kind of guy i write off in my mind immediately since he seems like the type of character to wear a beret and sunglasses and have a goatee and call people "cats". so it relieves me to know that in the great scheme of the jazz music continuum he will be nothing but a blip on the radar screen. though thirty years from now i am sure he will still be hanging around making tribute album after tribute album.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lovano is the kind of guy i write off in my mind immediately since he seems like the type of character to wear a beret and sunglasses and have a goatee and call people "cats". .

In that case you probably don't dig Diz either.......?

Oops, I said "dig". ;)

BTW, I don't like everything Lovano has put out, but the cat* CAN play IMHO!

*oops again........... :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest akanalog

no i should have clarified. diz was there-he was and is part of the jazz tradition. well he created a lot of what i would consider jazz tradition. lovano seems like the kind of guy who sort of shoves himself in there, into the jazz pantheon or whatever. copping off of what legit people like diz created. this is just my opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no i should have clarified.  diz was there-he was and is part of the jazz tradition.  well he created a lot of what i would consider jazz tradition.  lovano seems like the kind of guy who sort of shoves himself in there, into the jazz pantheon or whatever.  copping off of what legit people like diz created.  this is just my opinion.

I guess I don't really hear this at all. I'm guessing Lovano will never be considered a "giant" (though who knows?), but people will probably look back at him and say "interesting straightahead saxophonist that was a versatile player, couldn't straight-jacketed into any format, and made some good music." Whether that makes him a "blip" or not depends on the definition.

Your suggestion that Lovano is a phony is ridiculous IMHO.

Guy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair, I can see where you're coming from - the air he gives off can sometimes err on the side of "hipster cool," but as if from the 1950's. And I have to admit, not too much since Friendly Fire, or maybe the Nonet dates, has really grabbed me (I make a special exception for the disc with Hank Jones from last year - but that was more for hearing Hank than Lovano).

Still, to be sure, Lovano has been around for decades... he was paying his dues in bigbands with some of the greats before some of us around here were even born. I don't think it's a real contrived hipster-ness, just - much like his playing - something that feels natural to him, based on the time he's put in and the environment he came out of.

But I don't really know him, so maybe I'm just talking out of my ass here. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember first becoming aware of him when he was part of Woody Herman's Herd in the 70s (he plays some nice solos on the 40th Anniversary recording).

I've met him several times and he is a gracious and humble gentleman. No jiveness whatsoever. He sat in with the Herman band on a Europe gig a few years ago and traded with Frank Tiberi on Giant Steps. And it was burnin'. :g

As I said, I don't like every single thing he's done, but he seems to me to be sincere and honest in all his projects.

Not sure what you're basing your opinion on, akanalog, but I think you might be writing him off a bit harshly. Your perception of him (as a person, not a player) seems to be based on speculation. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I may be the only one here but from checking out only a couple of Lovano records like "From The Soul" and "Trio Fascination Edition One", (which I borrowed from the library) and his appearance on Branford's "The Dark Keys" that to my ear I hear a Joe Henderson influence in his tone, I think its the roundness. Also, from what I understand his tenor is made of wood, so it has an excuse me, woodier sound I guess you can say.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...