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Joe Lovano

Joseph Salvatore Lovano (born December 29, 1952)[1] is an American jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist,[1] and drummer.[2] He has earned a Grammy Award and several mentions on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls. His wife, with whom he records and performs, is singer Judi Silvano. Lovano was a longtime member of drummer Paul Motian‘s trio with guitarist Bill Frisell.[3]

Joe Lovano

Joseph Salvatore Lovano

(1952-12-29) December 29, 1952
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Musician

1970s–present

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, to Sicilian-American parents; his father was the tenor saxophonist Tony ("Big T") Lovano.[1][4] His father's family came from Alcara Li Fusi in Sicily, and his mother's family came from Cesarò, also in Sicily. In Cleveland, Lovano's father exposed him to jazz throughout his early life, teaching him the standards, as well as how to lead a gig, pace a set, and be versatile enough to find work. Lovano started on alto saxophone at age six and switched to tenor saxophone five years later. John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Stitt were among his earlier influences. After graduating from Euclid High School in 1971,[5][6] he went to Berklee College of Music, where he studied under Herb Pomeroy and Gary Burton.[1] Lovano received an honorary doctorate of music from the college in 1998.

Career[edit]

After Berklee he worked with Jack McDuff and Lonnie Smith. He spent three years with the Woody Herman orchestra, then moved to New York City, where he played with the big band of Mel Lewis. He often plays lines that convey the rhythmic drive and punch of an entire horn section. In the mid 1980s Lovano began working in a quartet with John Scofield and in a trio with Bill Frisell and Paul Motian.