Joe Lovano-Us 5 at The Village Vanguard This Week!
Joseph Salvatore Lovano was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in a very musical household. His dad, Tony, aka Big T, was a barber by day and a big-toned tenor player at night. “Big T,” along with his brothers Nick and Joe, other tenor players, and Carl, a bebop trumpeter, made sure Joe’s exposure to Jazz and the saxophone were early and constant.
Not surprisingly, Joe began playing the alto at five, switching to the tenor a few years later. By the time he got his driver’s license at sixteen, Joe Lovano was a member of the Musician’s Union, Local 4, and working professionally. He started playing club dates (sometimes subbing for his dad), and Motown cover bands, eventually saving enough money from these gigs to put himself through college.
But bigger than all of that Mr. Lovano shall grace us with his presence during a one week stand at The Village Vanguard. In addition to Mr. Lovano on Tenor Sax, the line up will include Esperanza Spalding on bass, James Weldman on piano, Otis Brown III and Matt Wilson both on drums. I’ll be in the house…will you?
