Joe Lovano: What I’ve been up to and what’s to come this fall … Video

Greetings Folks! Legendary saxophonist Joe Lovano wrote as: Here’s an update on what I’ve been up to and what’s to come this Fall…

The Village Vanguard:

August began with a wonderful week performing at the Village Vanguard with a very special Quartet, featuring Lawrence Fields on piano, Marc Johnson on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. It turned out to be a wild birthday week of music inspired by Hank Jones, who would have been 100 on July 31st. We ended up honoring not just Hank, but also Lester Young who would have been 109 on Aug 27th, Charlie Parker who would have been 98 on Aug 29th, Wayne Shorter who just turned 85 on Aug 25th, and Sonny Rollins who turned 88 on Sept 7th. We were flyin’ high reflecting on those folks all week. It was one of my most creative weeks as a leader to date.

Blue Note Beijing:

After the Vanguard, I brought my Classic Quartet to China for two nights at Blue Note Beijing to celebrate the club’s 2nd anniversary! Lawrence joined me on piano again, with Peter Slavov on bass, and Otis Brown III on drums. That was a beautiful, exotic trip to a great club and a fascinating city!

Classic Quartet in China – Blue Note Beijing

Celebrating John Abercrombie:

October is becoming full of soulful moments of expression and love. On the 10th, I was a part of a concert at the Berklee Performance Center celebrating John Abercrombie, hosted by the guitar department. John’s untimely passing last year was a shock for all of us in the Jazz world – his contribution as a player and composer will influence everyone in this creative art form for generations. Joey Baron, Ben Street, and I were guests in this amazing concert of Love.

Tonight + Tomorrow:

My Classic Quartet – featuring Lawrence Fields on piano, Peter Slavov on bass, and Lamy Istrefi on drums – will lead a workshop & play a concert at the University in Durham, NH tonight. It will be a lot of fun to share the blessing and perform a bunch of my original compositions I’ve recorded for Blue Note Records over the years. Then, it’s on to NYC with the quartet to play a benefit concert for The Jazz Foundation of America. It was quite an honor is be asked to take part in this event, as it also celebrates Roberta Flack’s contributions to the world of music. The work the Jazz Foundation of America does is beyond compare in its scope – I’m so happy I have a long and close relationship with Wendy and all the folks there.

Diana Krall:

On Sunday, I will be contributing to the beautiful, expressive music of Diana Krall’s concert performance in Easton, PA. Her expression and delivery is timeless and I am thrilled be a part of every opportunity to share the lines and spaces within her wonderful approach. More info and tickets here.

Enrico Rava:

At the end of October and into November, I’ll be co-leading a quintet with trumpet master Enrico Rava in Europe, along with Giovanni Guidi on piano, Dezron Douglas on bass, and Gerald Cleaver on drums. We’ll be exploring some of my originals as well as some of Enrico’s. I’m sure we’ll have a joyous exchange of ideas and create some new music along the way. We will also touch on some famous music to inspire us all.

The last time I collaborated with Enriro was a few years back – we co-led a really special quartet with Miroslov Vitoz and Tony Oxly. That was an amazing little tour that is still vibrating for us and everyone who had a chance to dig it.

Birdland:

Don’t miss my Nonet Plus at Birdland on my return to New York the week of Nov 13-17! That’s going to be a before-Thanksgiving Party. We’ll be giving thanks for sure!! More info and tickets here.

That’s it for now.

Saluti…. Joe

GIGS:

14 Oct / Easton, PA / State Theatre / with Diana Krall
26 Oct / Padova, IT / Padova Jazz Festival / with Enrico Rava Quintet
27 Oct / Budapest, HU / Bartók Béla National Concert Hall / with the Budapest Jazz Orchestra
29 Oct / Belgrade, RS / Belgrade Jazz Festival / with Enrico Rava Quintet
31 Oct / Oslo, NO / Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene / with Enrico Rava Quintet
02 Nov / Milan, IT / JAZZMI / with Enrico Rava Quintet
03 Nov / Sacile, IT / Il Volo Del Jazz Festival / with Enrico Rava Quintet
04 Nov / Forli, IT / with Enrico Rava Quintet
05 Nov / Bari, IT / with Enrico Rava Quintet
07 Nov / Luxembourg City, LU / with Enrico Rava Quintet
08 Nov / Lausanne, CH / JazzOnze+ / with Enrico Rava Quintet
11 Nov / Lugano, CH / Auditorio RSI / with Enrico Rava Quintet
13 – 17 Nov / New York, NY / Birdland / Nonet