Artist Name: Joe Lovano Artist Biography: One of the most unique and mature voices on the tenor saxophone today, Joe Lovano has drawn on a wide variety of influences from the classis pre-bop tenors to the free-jazz innovators John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman to form his own expression and become the preeminent player of the ´90s. Born December 29, 1952 in Cleveland, OH, Lovano started out on alto at age 6 with the encouragement of his father, local tenor legend Tony ³Big T² Lovano. After switching to tenor, Lovano attended Berklee College of Music, graduating in 1972. After touring with Woody Herman´s Orchestra (74-´76), Lovano moved to New York, where he worked with pianists Michel Petrucciani and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, collaborating with Gunther Schuller´s string arrangements for Rush Hour (featuring Lovano´s wife, vocalist Judi Silvano), and matching wits in a trio with Elvin Jones and Dave Holland. Over the past decade, Lovano has recorded a series of wonderfully varied records for Blue Note; the latest, 52nd Street Themes was released in Spring 2000. E-mail:   Web Site: