Joe Lovano ~ Saxophonist & Composer

This recording actually grew out of my collaboration with Gunther, on Rush Hour, especially Angel Eyes, which Gunther arranged for a string ensemble. Sinatra had such a distinctive version of the tune that I decided to do this recording and draw from his amazing repetoire.

The collaboration with Manny was a dream because he, along with Gunther, can express his beautiful ideas within any tune you choose to explore. His knowledge of these songs and their recorded history allowed him to be himself in actually creating these orchestrations.

So what this music is, in essence, is an extension of Rush Hour, with songs from the great American songbook. Like Rush Hour, Manny did orchestrations for 2/3 of the music, and I filled out the other third with small group pieces that featured Kenny, George, and Al. And then we broke down into smaller groups, like on Chicago, it’s just Al and I.

" Tribute albums can seem tawdry at times: an effort by the artist to trade on the talent and reputation of… read more" " Tribute albums can seem tawdry at times: an effort by the artist to trade on the talent and reputation of another. At other times, they are transcendent, a happy confluence of inspiration and opportunity. This is definitely in the latter category. Saxophonist Joe Lovano has brought together a set of talents that would have the Rat Pack doing their own version of the Matinee Swoon. Read the entire review here" Bill Bennett, Jazz Times