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Joe Lovano: Homage review | John Fordham's jazz album of the month
Backed by pianist Marcin Wasilewski’s group, the US sax elder plays freely around a song-rooted approach, resulting in sparkling, spontaneous exchanges
Joe Lovano, that giant American elder of jazz reeds-playing, nowadays seems – rather like the equally eminent saxophone master Charles Lloyd – to be simmering all his decades of timeless tunes and exquisite passing phrases down to essences. There’s a driving, McCoy Tyneresque solo from Wasilewski and Lovano switches to hand drums, animatedly joining percussionist Michal Miskiewicz – but there’s an exhilarating surprise when the leader whoops back in on the soprano-sax-like Hungarian tárogató. The unobtrusively challenging American drummer Bill Stewart recorded Live at the Village Vanguard(Criss Cross Jazz) in 2023 with the fine Wayne Shorterish Texan saxophonist Walter Smith III and bassist Larry Grenadier.
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