From the Soul
With a style that blends the liquid sonorities of cool-school saxophonists likeStan Getzand highly inventive, post-Coltranelines, Joe Lovano has emerged as one of the most consistently creative musicians in jazz. While it's possible to discern passing resemblances toSonny Rollins,Wayne Shorter, andOrnette Coleman, Lovano has an authentic voice of his own. Even his high harmonics are a mixture of gauze and grit. This 1992 session stands out for the superb band that Lovano has assembled, an unlikely ensemble that consistently fuels his multidirectional approach. PianistMichel Petruccianiis a master of subtle harmonic improvisation, while drummerEd Blackwellfuses counterrhythms and joyous parade drumming in a manner first developed within free jazz. The superb bassistDave Hollandseems to be knitting all the parts together from below as Lovano does the same above. The results are consistently exciting, whether the theme at hand is a standard ballad, a tune byMonkor Coltrane, or one of Lovano's brisk originals. --Stuart Broomer