Joe Lovano Us Five: Live At The Village Vanguard (NPR, 1/12/11)

Now a few years old, Us Five has enjoyed a lot of time on the road to develop its sonic identity. Lovano, a monster player in all directions, is the central focus on tenor saxophone and other strange saxes. But he swims amid the interplay of drummers Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela (replaced on this gig by Matt Wilson), plus the additional lean muscle of pianist James Weidman and bassist Esperanza Spalding. And their collective take on Charlie Parker is a sort of 21st-century expressionism. It's Bird re-painted with broad strokes — Bird as a point of departure for a personal vision — and it's got a churning engine behind it.

Lovano was raised in Cleveland, Ohio, where his father was a tenor saxophonist. He eventually took the lessons of the Cleveland clubs to Berklee College of Music, and then New York City. Lovano quickly found his way into everything between organ trios with Dr. Lonnie Smith and Brother Jack McDuff and big bands led by Woody Herman or Mel Lewis. He counts guitarists Bill Frisell and John Scofield as peers, collaborators and friends; he's one of the musicians of their generation to reach international stardom. Bird Songs is his 22nd record for Blue Note Records alone.