Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer and producer Joe Lovano is fearless in finding new modes of artistic expression. With a Grammy Win for his 52nd Street Themes and 14 other nominations, he has won DownBeat Magazine ’s Critics and Readers Polls countless times as Tenor Saxophonist, Musician of the Year, Jazz Album of the Year and Triple Crowns from DownBeat. He has also received numerous awards from Jazz Times and the Jazz Journalists Association for Tenor Saxophone, Album of the Year and Musician of the Year.
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Joe began working with Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and also played in Woody Herman’s orchestra for three years before moving to New York. In New York, he began working with drummer Mel Lewis. Throughout his career he has worked with many other leading musicians, including Hank Jones, Paul Motian, John Zorn, George Mraz, Charlie Haden, McCoy Tyner and John Scofield. His wife is jazz singer Judi Silvano.
Marilyn Crispell is an American jazz pianist and composer. Scott Yanow described her as “a strong player… who has her own way of using space… She is one of the top in her field.” Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote: “Hearing Marilyn Crispell play solo piano is like watching an active volcano… She is one of the few pianists who can meet the challenges of free jazz.” In addition to her own extensive work as a soloist or bandleader, she is also known as a longtime member of saxophonist Anthony Braxton’s quartet in the 1980s and 1990s. She was a member of the Reggie Workman Ensemble for ten years, was a member of Barry Guy’s New Orchestra, and guested in his London Jazz Composers Orchestra. She has been a member of the Henry Grimes Trio, the Tiszigi Munoz Ensemble and Quartet Noir (with Urso Leimgruber, Fritz Hauser and Joelle Leandre). She has toured and recorded with Anders Jormin’s Bortom Quintet and trumpeter and composer Gunhild Seim’s Time Jungle.
Carmen Castaldi, a gifted jazz drummer from Cleveland, emerged in the 1970s and was a sought-after collaborator for decades, working on the West Coast with artists like Joe Lovano, Frank Strazzeri and Keely Smith. In 2019, he joins Lovano and pianist Marilyn Crispell in the Tapestry Trio.
