Trio Fascination - Edition One

Trio Fascination - Edition One

ASIN: B000009EA6

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
One of the brightest tenor players on the jazz scene today, Joe Lovano has been recording as a band leader since 1990. While Lovano has played in a variety of interesting contexts since signing to the Blue Note label, Trio Fascination finds the saxophonist in superb company with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Elvin Jones. Performing original material except for the standard Ghost of a Chance, the talented threesome stretches out musically and engages in some particularly impassioned playing. Spanning a wide variety of moods and emphasizing the sonic possibilities of a trio setting, this disc displays Lovano as a true master of improvisation. Playing soprano, alto, and tenor, Lovano possesses a clear tone, and his ideas are plentiful. An excellent vehicle for all three musicians. --Mitch Myers

From Jazziz
This title sounds like a Steven Speilberg DreamWorks project, with a sequel already in the works. Coming on the heels of Lovano's slightly overcooked Sinatra tribute, one might worry that Lovano had once again gone high-concept. Three songs into the first listen of this splendid recording, however, all fears vanish. Saxophonist Lovano, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Elvin Jones really do sound fascinated by their triangulated interactions. And if there's a sequel in the works, we should all be very happy about it.

Few jazz men have produced a better set of recordings in the past decade than Lovano. He has made straight bop sound free and free jazz sound straight. He has embued his work with clarity, depth, and originality. His voice is powerful yet sensitive, swinging yet introspective. And his tone is just plain gorgeous.

The trio calls upon the ghosts of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, and Sam Rivers, but the sound is, nevertheless, entirely their own. On "Ghost of a Chance," Lovano's big, fat Ben Webster/Coleman Hawkins attack is a beautiful gift - boxed by Holland's supple bass and wrapped in the silky ribbon of Jones' beautiful brush work. The rest of the tunes on the disc are Lovano originals, and they jump nicely from swing to bop to ballad, with some powerful open spaces in between.

Tracks:

New York Fascination
Sanctuary Park
Eternal Joy
Ghost Of A Chance
Studio Rivbea
Cymbalism
Impressionistic
Villa Paradiso
4 On The Floor
Days Of Yore

Amazon.com

One of the brightest tenor players on the jazz scene today, Joe Lovano has been recording as a band leader since 1990. While Lovano has played in a variety of interesting contexts since signing to the Blue Note label, Trio Fascination finds the saxophonist in superb company with bassist Dave Holland and drummer Elvin Jones. Performing original material except for the standard Ghost of a Chance, the talented threesome stretches out musically and engages in some particularly impassioned playing. Spanning a wide variety of moods and emphasizing the sonic possibilities of a trio setting, this disc displays Lovano as a true master of improvisation. Playing soprano, alto, and tenor, Lovano possesses a clear tone, and his ideas are plentiful. An excellent vehicle for all three musicians. --Mitch Myers

Customer Reviews:

Not the best stuff out there, but..........2000-09-30

Joe Lovano has, of course, received an enormous amount of hype over the last few years. So is it deserved? Yes and no. He's not the next Sonny Rollins as some have claimed (but who is, really?), and in fact he isn't a major innovator at all. There are other improvising musicians out there who are forging new paths in ways Lovano doesn't even hint at. Just because he isn't reinventing the wheel, however, doesn't detract from the fact that he's one of the most distinctive saxophone stylists in the modern mainstream (and, despite what many have said, he is thoroughly mainstream rather than avant-garde). This is one of his strongest albums, because it features him doing a lot of what he does best: blowing. That's right, no high concepts, no large ensembles, just Lovano's four horns and two of the best rhythm men in the history of jazz. The reflective "Sanctuary Park" is just about worth the price of the album. If you're looking to get into Lovano's work, this is as good a place as any to start.

another lovano gem.......2000-06-26

mr. lovano gives us a chamber piece here, coupled with the outstanding rhythm section of elvin jones and doug holland. together they explore various forms (blues, ballads, burn outs, etc.) with great aplomb. the solos are marvelous and mr. jones and mr. holland simply get better as years go by. highlights on this album are the quiet somnolence of 'sanctuary park,' the quirky bop of 'eternal joy,' and the wonderful interplay of '4 on the floor.' this is a great introduction to mr. lovano, an artist who continues to develop and deepen with time (check out his latest release with his nonet).

A Great CD.......2000-01-27

Like the reviewer below I had some misgivings about music without chords. But I come back to this CD over and over again. This is one of my favorite recordings. Jazz people will really like this music . It is good straight ahead post bop and will not disappoint. Joe is dead on.

Three brilliant players playing brilliant compositions.......1999-08-13

Before I listened to the record I wasn't confident about it, purely due to the fact that there is no chordal instruments, such as guitar or piano. But Dave Holland's double bass-playing definitely makes the back ground music fluent and coherent with Lovano's sax-playing, who is simply a natural modern postbopper that turns his sax into a killing machine---you either feel relaxed or go completely MAD with him! Elvin Jones can always put the strong accent at the right position to enpower the music, and he plays with style !!

Full of Joe Lovano.......1999-01-30

Joe is at home to blow his horn. If you like Joe, you won't be disappointed.

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