The saxophone's 19th-century inventor, the Belgian Adolphe Sax, envisioned hybrid horns that could merge the speed and fluency of woodwinds with the volume and punch of brass. Sax's career nearly derailed due to a childhood marked by frequent accidents, causing his mother to fear for his survival. Yet at 20, he patented a prototype contrabass clarinet, followed by the first saxophone. Initially dismissed by traditionalists, the sax was relegated to parade bands and dance orchestras until jazz musicians from Sidney Bechet in the 1920s to Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, and many more contemporary artists, including Joe Lovano, placed it at jazz's center as a radiantly expressive instrument akin to the classical violin.
Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet Review
Lovano's Paramount Quartet radiates with the saxophone's pliable eloquence under a master's guidance, alongside equally free-spirited guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Asante Santi Debriano, and drummer Will Calhoun of Living Colour fame. Lovano excels as a bebop player and an inspired free-improviser, creatively exploring classic jazz, global music, and texture-based European approaches. He previously performed Charlie Haden's First Song with Bill Frisell, and here it returns with a lyrical solo guitar intro from Lage and an exquisite sax theme, evolving into extended improvisation over vaporous guitar chords and sleek runs.
Track Highlights
On the Ornettish Amsterdam, featuring the tonally rich G mezzo soprano sax, symmetrical ascents and descents swell into fast sax-guitar improvisation as Calhoun's rattling percussion intensifies. Fanfare for Unity is a percussive, disguised-funk dance, while Wayne Shorter's Lady Day is entrancing. Congregation evokes the communal vibe of its title. This album is a late-career triumph from a tireless saxophone maestro.
Also Out This Month
Saxophonist Joshua Redman's recent collaborations with vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa highlight her shrewd musicality and heart. On Diavola (Blue Note), Redman and guitarist Jeff Parker guest on Cavassa's originals and audacious remakes, including an intimate Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, a capricious To Say Goodbye, and a hypnotic Could It Be Magic. Tehran-born, Vienna-based guitarist Mahan Mirarab unveils a unique sound palette on Unspoken (ACT), playing a double-necked instrument with both fretted and fretless fingerboards to blend east and west on traditional themes and covers, including Joe Zawinul and Miles Davis's In a Silent Way. Long-running UK ensemble Empirical release Like Lambs: To the Slaughter (Whirlwind), with guests Ivo Neame on piano and David Preston on guitar, joining regulars Nathaniel Facey (alto sax), Tom Farmer (bass), and Shaney Forbes (drums/composition). Yoruba traditions, European chamber music, post-bop, and free improv mingle on this engaging album across Empirical's ever-inviting repertoire.
