1995 · Album
Quartets: Live at the Village Vanguard
Recorded March 1994 and January 1995 at the Village Vanguard · Blue Note · Format: Double CD (live album)
Two Nights, Two Bands, One Saxophonist in Form
Lovano captured in two separate Village Vanguard sets, ten months apart, showing different sides of his improvisational gift.
The Village Vanguard in March 1994 and again in January 1995 — that's where this double album lives. Two nights, two different rhythm sections, two snapshots of Joe Lovano at the same venue, separated by ten months and countless gigs. What matters is that both sessions caught him playing at a level that makes you understand why people keep showing up to hear him. The contrast between the two sets is the real point here. Different ensembles meant different musical conversations, and Lovano responded to each one on its own terms. Scott Yanow's review for AllMusic nailed it: this is a tenor saxophonist in prime form, playing without a net in a room where the stakes feel real.
Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times heard what was obvious — the two CDs work as a study in Lovano's range. He can dig into a groove and stay there, or he can spin out long melodic lines that seem to surprise even him as they unfold. The fact that readers of DownBeat Magazine named it Jazz Album of the Year tells you this wasn't some insider's taste — people who follow the music closely got it. For listeners already familiar with Lovano's studio work, this album shows you what he does in real time, with nowhere to hide and no second takes. If you're new to him, this is a solid entry point, though you might also want to check out some of his earlier studio records to hear how he arranges and develops ideas over longer stretches. The live setting here is immediate and raw in a way studio records usually aren't.
Who's playing
Where next?
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
