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JOE LOVANO AT BERKLEE
STRUNG OUT


A week ago Monday night, tenor-saxophonist Joe Lovano brought to a close his first year as Gary Burton professor of jazz studies at Berklee College of Music with a concert featuring faculty and students. The highlight was a rare public performance of three string-orchestra arrangements that composer Eddie Sauter originally wrote for Stan Getz’s 1961 Focus (Verve), which is widely considered to be one of the most successful jazz/classical fusion recordings ever.

The art of jazz with strings is a delicate one. Jazz soloists must couch their lines in softer, more subtly sensual tones without sacrificing intellectual rigor or else the whole enterprise descends into schmaltz. When it’s done right, though, the sound of saxophone with violins and cellos is one of the most emotionally affecting combinations in jazz.

Lovano and the Berklee String Orchestra under the direction of Eugene Friesen were equal to the challenge. Lovano embraced "Her" with a big bear hug of a tone that was soft and strong at the same time. He sent his lines rushing into a thicket of plucked violins, then danced suavely through a forest of mahogany-toned cellos (Eun-jin Lim was a standout in her solo part). Lovano’s delicate, bluesy inflections and swing gave this courtly encounter with the Debussy-influenced score the same sly and understated earthiness that graces his recent Viva Caruso (Blue Note), a tribute to opera star Enrico Caruso. The lively Stravinsky-esque rhythms of "Pan" accorded Lovano plenty of material to play with, and he tucked riffs into the spaces of the arrangement and wove complex harmonic patterns to complement the strings. The uptempo "Night Rider" exhibited some rough patches, but it was clear that Lovano enjoyed interlocking his lines with the Bartókian pulse of the orchestra.

Berklee faculty member Greg Hopkins opened the strings portion of the concert with his witty arrangement of Monk’s "Round Midnight." And student composer and violinist Mats Tolling contributed the haunting "Long Time Ago," both of which also featured Lovano.

The concert opened with a trio with bassist Bruce Gertz and drummer Joe Hunt (a Getz alumnus) in which Lovano and Hunt locked in some exciting dialogues on "Flights of Fancy" and "Charlie Chan." The second half of the evening was devoted to Lovano’s two student ensembles, which he led in a jovial, relaxed manner that set everyone at ease to play his or her best.

BY ED HAZELL

Issue Date: May 9 - 16, 2002
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