Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Lovano was exposed throughout his early life to jazz by his father, Tony "Big T" Lovano. John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sonny Stitt were among his earlier influences. He developed further at Berklee College of Music where he studied under Herb Pomeroy and Gary Burton. Following this, he served a big band apprenticeship with Woody Herman's Thundering Herd and the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
"Big T" Lovano, a fine Cleveland tenorman, was his first inspiration. He taught Joe all the standards, how to lead a gig, how to pace a set, and to be versatile enough to always find work. Joe started on alto at age six and switched to tenor five years later. He attended Berklee before working with Jack McDuff and Dr. Lonnie Smith. After three years with Woody Herman's Orchestra, Lovano moved to New York and began playing regularly with Mel Lewis’ Big Band. This influence is still present in his solos. He often plays lines that convey the rhythmic drive and punch of an entire horn section.
One of the top saxophonists of the 1990s, Joe Lovano continues to grow and explore as a musician. He has a husky tenor tone and takes a modern approach to improvisation. In the early ‘80s he began working in John Scofield’s Quartet and a bass-less trio with Paul Motian and Bill Frisell. Steeped in the tradition of Ornette Coleman, Motian’s recordings show off Lovano’s avant-garde abilities. Scofield’s Quartet straddled the line between “inside” and “outside”. These recordings feature some of Lovano’s best work.
Lovano has enduring musical partnerships with John Scofield and Paul Motian, having participated in some of their most noteworthy projects over the years.
He is currently a jazz artist on the international level. His live work, specifically Quarterts at the Village Vanguard, garnered a Down Beat "Jazz Album of the Year" award. Other releases include Trio Fascination and 52nd Street Themes. In the late 1990s, he formed the Saxophone SummitDave Liebman and Michael Brecker (now deceased, replaced with Ravi Coltrane). He played the tenor saxophone on the critically acclaimed 2007 McCoy Tyner album Quartet. In 2006 Lovano released Streams Of Expression, a tribute to two different genres of jazz, cool and free. He did this with the help of Gunther Schuller who contributed his "Birth Of The Cool Suite". In a surprise loss Lovano and his nonet did not win the Grammy for best large ensemble jazz record of 2006. Joe Lovano and Hank Jones released an album together in June of 2007 entitled Kids. Lovano also currently leads his quartet with Berklee Faculty and students Esperanza Spalding, James Weidman, and Otis Brown. with
Joe Lovano exclusively plays Borgani saxophones.
