Joe Lovano - Symphonica (CD)

Saxophonist Joe Lovano refuses to stand still. Virtually every album of his from the 1990's onward features a different concept, context, or aspect of his artistry. From duos to full orchestras, as a player and/or composer, Lovano does it all. Recorded in concert, SYMPHONICA features his saxophone in front of a German orchestra in a nearly all-Lovano-composed program. Lovano's full-bodied approach to the tenor balances all this musical questing with the straight-ahead, swinging hard with the cerebral. The arrangements here are rich and varied throughout. Some tracks have overtones of classical music, others of Charles Mingus and Woody Herman (of whose big band Lovano was a member), even hints of Frank Zappa and early `70s fusion. Stirring, smart, and provocative, this stands as one of Lovano's finest achievements.