Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet

An artist The Boston Globe accurately describes as “jazz royalty,” GRAMMY-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano showcases his latest ensemble for the second two nights of his 2026-27 Season residency — a masterful assemblage of virtuosos including guitar great Julian Lage, esteemed bassist Asante Santi Debriano, and Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun — performing music from Lovano’s new ECM Records release Paramount Quartet. 

Cutting his professional teeth with the bands of Woody Herman and Mel Lewis, Lovano is the most acclaimed saxophonist and composer in modern jazz, leading over 40 albums and forging long-term partnerships with John Scofield and Paul Motian and collaborating with artists ranging from Jim Hall and McCoy Tyner to Abbey Lincoln and Elvin Jones.  

The spark of the Paramount Quartet dates to a meeting with Debriano and Calhoun at a fundraiser for Puerto Rico hurricane relief in 2023 and adding Lage to the mix was a natural step, as the two had been talking about doing a project together for over two decades.  

Consisting of all original compositions and a loving version of Wayne Shorter’s “Lady Day,” the album is possessed of a singular magic. As Lovano himself puts it, “There's a lot of magic that just kind of unfolds as we play. And the more we play, the more magical it becomes."