Joe Lovano Nonet

MAR 14–17 | SFJAZZ RESIDENT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR JOE LOVANO

Mar 14, 2019

Miner Auditorium

PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production

Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.

Original show description below.

Lovano kicks off his week as SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director with his superb nonet including altoist Steve Slagle, fellow tenor player Ralph Lalama, and baritone player Gary Smulyan — the group featured on Lovano’s 2000 GRAMMY-winning Blue Note Records release, 52nd Street Themes. With sumptuous arrangements of music by Tadd Dameron, Billy Strayhorn, Monk, Miles, and Gershwin by the late Cleveland jazz giant Willie “Face” Smith, the album contains some of the most personal and meaningful music of Lovano’s career and won the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album award by the Jazz Journalists Association. “While Joe Lovano has played some decidedly non-mainstream music during his career, this record is a powerful reminder of the tenor giant’s debt to the tradition. Still, the music has that unmistakable Lovano edge.” (All About Jazz)

ABOUT JOE LOVANO
Described by DownBeat magazine as “the titan among us,” GRAMMY Award-winning saxophonist Joe Lovano is one of the era’s definitive improvisers and bandleaders. A Cleveland native born to a family of musicians, he began on alto saxophone at five. Cutting his professional teeth with the bands of Woody Herman and Mel Lewis, Lovano has become the most acclaimed saxophonist and composer in modern jazz, winning a 2010 triple crown in the DownBeat Critics Poll for Jazz Artist of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist, and Jazz Group for his Us Five quintet. He had long-term collaborations with the late drummer Paul Motian and guitarist John Scofield, and has performed with innumerable jazz greats including Jim Hall, Elvin Jones, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Charlie Haden. A prolific bandleader, Lovano has released nearly 30 albums including 20 for Blue Note alone — more than any other living artist. He was a member of the SFJAZZ Collective from 2007–2009, and was a recipient of both a Distinguished Alumni Award and an honorary doctorate from Berklee.

After 30 albums as a leader and at least 25 years in the spotlight, it’s clear Joe Lovano is more than a dominant figure in jazz. He’s jazz’s answer to George Clooney or Jeff Bridges, a vibrant player who delivers an award-worthy performance every time out.

The Wall Street Journal

After 30 albums as a leader and at least 25 years in the spotlight, it’s clear Joe Lovano is more than a dominant figure in jazz. He’s jazz’s answer to George Clooney or Jeff Bridges, a vibrant player who delivers an award-worthy performance every time out.

The Wall Street Journal

Personnel

Joe Lovano tenor saxophone
Steve Slagle alto saxophone
Ralph Lalama tenor saxophone
Gary Smulyan baritone saxophone
Barry Ries trumpet
Ed Neumeister trombone
James Weidman piano
Cameron Brown bass
Otis Brown III drums