Joe Lovano: Paramount Quartet

The "Paramount" in Joe Lovano's new quartet can be interpreted as a clear commitment. "I feel like I'm really taking off right now," says Joe, seemingly unimpressed by his decades of experience and the numerous albums he has released as a bandleader. "We've reached a very special point with this quartet - it's something very special. It's something new. And the guys play with a truly global consciousness." This refers to guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Asante Santi Debriano and drummer Will Calhoun (best known as a member of the American rock group Living Color) - all musicians who, with the Paramount Quartet, open a striking, adventurous new chapter in Joe Lovano's extensive oeuvre. In its review of the group's concert in London a few days before the recordings, the Financial Times raved: "Lovano's latest project combines a modernist core with echoes of Americana, exploring the terrain with freedom, focus and passion." Sometimes powerful and extroverted, sometimes intimate and tender, the four instrumentalists from different generations present a varied program. It includes the saxophonist's own compositions as well as an atmospheric interpretation of Wayne Shorter's Billie Holiday tribute "Lady Day" and Charlie Haden's "First Song". The album was recorded in February 2025 in the south of France and produced by Manfred Eicher.