Known as much for his inventive compositions and eclectic ensembles as for his power and lyricism on the horn, Grammy winner Joe Lovano has enjoyed a stream of vital collaborations with such legendary performers as Paul Motian, John Scofield, Bill Frisell, Elvin Jones, Hank Jones, and Gunther Schuller. His eclecticism is evident in recent projects ranging from duets to quartets to big bands, but perhaps never more stunning than with his new quintet project, Us Five, and their recent release, Folk Art.

Recently dubbed the CD of the Year by Jazz Times, the merger of veterans Lovano and pianist James Weidman with relative youngsters Esperanza Spalding on bass and two percussionists, Francisco Mela and Otis Brown III, yields a masterful array of original Lovano compositions that range from glorious statements to herky-jerky acrobatics to free range conversations. And beyond his compositional versatility we are treated to Joe Lovano’s talents on an oddball melange of horns--tenor and straight alto saxes, alto clarinet, taragato and aulochrome, with a side order of gongs. The two drummers add such artillery as ankle bells, ascending and descending opera gongs, pandero, dumbek and Ethiopian drums, yet never overpower the group effort.

Joe Lovano (Photo © Andrea Canter)

The ten compositions start off with the boppish, constantly evolving “Powerhouse,” followed by the multicolored title track. Lovano opens on straight alto, yielding to Weidman’s melodic solo before switching to a coarse tenor, returning to the repetitions of the original theme; bass and percussion throughout provide a polytonal mesh that drives to the end. Again on alto sax, Lovano shines on the Coltranish ballad, “Wild Beauty.” What could be the band’s theme song, the harmonically disconcerting “Us Five” finds Lovano (on the high end of his tenor?) in agitated conversation with his drummers and then full rhythm section. Spalding walks and skips all over the music with graceful assurance (and a full-bodied solo), while Weidman establishes the sane melodic core. Written for his wife, “Song for Judi” receives a luxurious intro from Weidman; Lovano’s tenor sings in tandem with the bass, his tone suggesting some of the most gorgeous works of Charles Lloyd or John Coltrane, even hinting at Ben Webster, while the percussion section lays back as a distant thunder. There are three key signatures here but the shifts are seamless and logical.

On “Drum Song,” the gongs and other percussion pave the way for a snaky, mournful taragato, a backdrop fit for an espionage thriller, Spalding adding intrigue with haunting basslines that bounce around atop the percussion. Weidman comes into the background dropping chords amidst controlled chaos, later providing one of the set’s most rhythmically interesting, harmonically adventurous interludes. Lovano takes out the aulochrome (a double soprano sax with a keyboard in the middle) on “Dibango,” a funky, quirky, internal duel among the horn’s two tones, the percussion adding a layer of circus-like sound effects. 

Esperanza Spalding (Photo © Andrea Canter)

The alto clarinet stars on “Page Four,” Lovano with a majestic opening, Spalding providing a lovely supporting line and prayerful solo. Weidman solos with the joyful elegance of Abdullah Ibrahim, the drummers adding the perfect level of surprise and drama. Lovano’s later solo is more acrobatic while retaining the reverence of the opening. On the aptly titled closing track, “Ettenro” (Ornette spelled backwards), Joe moves from alto to tenor, paying homage to his muse on alto in the conversational first section—as if arguing with, then yielding to the percussion section, then answering on tenor. The latter section brings another debate between sax and percussion, braided together by Spalding’s furious basslines.

It seems a good portion of my favorite recordings of the past few years involve Joe Lovano – his duets with Hank Jones (Joyous Encounter, Kids), his trio work with Paul Motian and Bill Frisell (Time and Time Again; I Have the Room Above Her), his contribution to McCoy Tyner’s Quartet, the grand Symphonica, and earlier in 2009, his partnership with Steve Kuhn on Mostly Coltrane. Now add to the list Folk Art.

This review previously posted at www.jazzpolice.com