Joe Lovano ~ Saxophonist & Composer

George Adams and I played together at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival and we had such a beautiful rapport that we decided to do this recording. But George got sick and Josh stepped in. He had just moved to New York and I knew him from playing with his dad, the great Dewey Redman. Josh is a very distinctive voice as a young saxophonist on the scene.

Mulgrew, Christian and Lewis were working together as a trio at the time. I met Mulgrew in the 70s in Boston, so I had known him for quite some time. I’ve loved playing with him through the years. Working with these guys felt so good that they became my working Quartet.

The repertoire is all original tunes I wrote for the date with each tune presenting a different combination of players, from the full sextet to a duo. Blackwell had just passed when we did this so Blackwell’s Message was a special piece I wrote to feature Lewis and the great Don Alias, as was Bread and Wine, which is the body and blood of the music. That one features the two saxes and the two drummers.

"Joe Lovano welcomes Joshua Redman to his sextet set (which also features pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Lewis… read more" "Joe Lovano welcomes Joshua Redman to his sextet set (which also features pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Christian McBride, drummer Lewis Nash and percussionist Don Alias) and, rather than jam on standards, Joe Lovano composed five new originals, revived three obscurities and only chose to perform two familiar pieces. By varying the styles and instrumentation (for example “Bread and Wine” does not have piano or bass), Lovano has created a set with a great deal of variety and some surprising moments. The two tenors (who have distinctive sounds) work together fine and some chances are taken. This matchup works well." Scott Yanow, All Music Guide