Ghost of A Chance from Trio Fascination: Volume One (Blue Note - 1998)

A few months after he relocated to New York, Joe joined Woody Herman’s 40th Anniversary tour in 1976, which included "The 40th Anniversary Concert" at Carnegie Hall. For his second Carnegie Hall appearance, Joe shared the stage with Stan Getz on the classic Early Autumn, and was a featured soloist during the celebration, along with Frank Tiberi, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Jimmy Guiffre and Flip Phillips. The importance of the event was not lost on Joe’s sister, Laura, and his Aunt Rose, who traveled from Cleveland for the gig.

"There’s a challenge playing the same music and arrangements every night. You have to find the groove and play the music an enthusiastic spirits to make it come alive. With Woody, there was plenty of solo space to spark new ideas and Woody was very open to that. He encouraged it."

Joe Lovano’s three-year gig with Woody including many firsts, including touring Europe and playing major international festivals as a soloist. The band’s nearly non-stop schedule, with only two weeks off every year, included a number of colleges and high schools, where Joe had his first experiences doing workshops and master classes.

“During my time with Woody, I spent every waking moment gigging, composing, studying, listening and trying to figure out where I was going to go from there, musically. It was an eye opening experience, traveling around the world and seeing what was happening.”