2019 · Album
Trio Tapestry
Recorded March 2018 · ECM · Personnel: Joe Lovano (saxophone), Marilyn Crispell (piano), Carmen Castaldi (percussion)
Lovano Stripped Down to His Core
In this bare trio, the beauty of his musical logic is laid bare.
When Joe Lovano released Trio Tapestry (2019) on ECM, he was already well-established—a saxophonist known for exuberant, free-wheeling playing and a deep knowledge of jazz history. This album, his debut as bandleader for the label, caught some listeners off guard. Not because it was difficult or experimental, but because it was the opposite: stripped down, careful, almost austere. The trio format—Lovano with pianist Marilyn Crispell and percussionist Carmen Castaldi—offered nowhere to hide.
Thomas Conrad of JazzTimes understood what was happening here. He noted that Lovano "deals with fewer ideas and therefore concentrates on the essential ones," and praised how the saxophonist "develops diverse melodies from the stepping stones of his tunes." This wasn't Lovano playing it safe. It was Lovano making a deliberate choice to work within limits, which is harder than it sounds. Chris Pearson of The Times made a similar observation: "Joe Lovano became famous for his exuberant, free-wheeling playing... Yet on this disc, his first as leader for ECM, he is a different man." The critics weren't saying he'd lost his powers. They were saying he'd changed direction.
The album didn't arrive as a major commercial event, but it found serious listeners who appreciated what Lovano was after—the kind of record that gets more interesting the more you sit with it. The addition of Castaldi's percussion, including gongs, gave the music an unexpected textural depth, adding mystery without cluttering the space. For anyone coming to Lovano expecting the full force of his personality, this might feel quieter than expected. For those willing to meet him on these terms, it's where his musical thinking becomes visible in ways his busier work sometimes obscures.
