Label: ECM Records, 2026
Personnel - Joe Lovano: tenor axophone, G mezzo soprano saxophone, tarogato; Julian Lage: guitar; Asante Santi Debriano: bass; Will Calhoun: drums.
Joe Lovano, a saxophonist and composer with an unmistakable touch and tone, introduces a new quartet—Paramount—working alongside guitarist Julian Lage, bassist Asante Santi Debriano, and Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun. Across seven tracks—five Lovano originals and two carefully chosen covers—the album creates expansive settings for conversational interplay and individual expression, balancing solid post-bop foundations with adventurous improvisational freedom.
With “First Song”, written by Charlie Haden, the quartet embraces the minor mode with almost mystical elegance. Introduced by a lyrical guitar prelude, the piece unfolds as a poignant, deeply beautiful ballad that breathes with longing and emotional warmth. Its harmonic cycle becomes fertile ground for expressive solos from Lovano—whose singing lines radiate melodic richness—and Lage, whose soaring phrases are packed with harmonic sense. The other cover, Wayne Shorter’s “Lady Day”—composed in honor of Billie Holiday—retains the romanticism and emotional gravity of the original while filtering it through a sophisticated post-bop lens.
Originally featured on Lovano’s 2001 album Flights of Fancy, “Amsterdam” ventures decisively into avant-garde territory. Looser and more ambiguous in structure, it favors improvisational exchanges centered on one or two instruments at a time. Lovano and Lage articulate the theme together before the music opens into simultaneous improvisation, later shifting into a bass solo over guitar textures and a saxophone meditation supported only by drums. Similarly unconcerned with conventional forms, “The Great Outdoors” rejects standard harmonic progressions in favor of spacious rubato exploration. Haunting, fluid, and open-ended, it finds Lovano weaving in and out of the ensemble texture with commanding soprano sax work.
The album’s rhythmic engine comes fully alive on “Fanfare For Unity”, an animated and playful piece elevated by Calhoun’s exceptional drumming. The quartet sounds genuinely exhilarated here, and that joy transfers directly to the listener through their sharp wit and dynamic interaction. In contrast, “The Call” adopts a more atmospheric approach: Lovano’s G mezzo-soprano saxophone pours out dense streams of notes over arco bass drones and nuanced percussion, while Lage’s serene guitar lines evoke rays of light piercing grey clouds. The piece closes with beautifully intertwined saxophone-guitar unisons.
The final track, “Congregation”, carries a subtle Americana flavor, allowing the quartet’s narrative sensibility and exploratory spirit to emerge through notes that shimmer and dance with melodic instinct, blues-inflected phrasing, and effortless cool. Lovano has always been an endlessly inventive musician with expansive creative horizons, and this Paramount Quartet reveals yet another compelling chapter in his prolific career. Marked by deep listening, trust, and instinctive communication, this music deserves the highest attention and admiration.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - First Song ► 02 - Amsterdam ► 04 - Fanfare For Unity