''Folk Art'' is the twenty-first studio album by American saxophonist Joe Lovano, released on

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

in 2009. The album was well received by critics, scoring 84% on six reviews in Metacritic which means "universal acclaim".

Overview

For the recording of ''Folk Art'' Lovano formed a new band he called Us Five, featuring rising star Esperanza Spalding on bass and pianist James Weidman, who accompanied vocalists Abbey Lincoln and Cassandra Wilson, and (like Wilson) was associated with the M-Base collective. With Francisco Mela and Otis Brown III two drummers completed the unusual quintet. It was the first album with compositions exclusively written by Lovano. With the liberated spirit of the 1960s avant-garde and the subsequent loft scene in mind, the interpretations ought to be "loose and joyous".

Reception

John Fordham of '' The Guardian'' noted "It's Lovano's 21st album for Blue Note - and one of his freest, letting group relations go where they will. The melodies are full of character: the wheeling theme of the title track unfolds over a piano vamp, with an eerie, nursery rhyme-like motif as the countermelody... Lovano pulls no punches here, but his lyrical instincts are also strong; Folk Art remains as accessible as its title implies it ought to be". Ben Ratliff of '' The New York Times'' commented "“Folk Art” might be his woolliest album. It's a bit out of focus, perhaps intentionally. Made with his new band, Us Five, it's sketchy, groovy and a little burdensome. The album isn't set up as a reference to any one composer, style or period, but we’re strangely deep into the early 1970s here". Will Layman of '' PopMatters'' commented "At this stage of the game, Joe Lovano's name guarantees a certain level of quality in jazz. His boundless imagination has promised great playing, but it has also generated a somewhat restless recording career, with a different band or approach on nearly every recording. With Us Five, Lovano has found a flexible and exciting working band, a group that can play down the center or off on the side, that can swing joyously or reach for the heights of abstraction. Here's hoping that Lovano and Blue Note love this band as much as it deserves to be loved. More please".

Track listing

Personnel

*Joe Lovano - alto and tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, taragat, gong *

James Weidman James Edward Weidman Jr. , (born July 14, 1953, in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American jazz pianist. Weidman's father was a saxophonist who led his own band. He began playing piano when he was eight years old and eventually became electric organist ...

- piano * Esperanza Spalding - bass *Otis Brown III - drums, bells *

Francisco Mela Francisco Jose Mela is a Cuban drummer and percussionist who has performed with a wide array of prominent international Latin and jazz artists including Kenny Barron, Gary Bartz, JoAnne Brackeen, Jane Bunnett, Regina Carter, Anat Cohen, Paquit ...

- drums, bells, dumbek, pandeiro

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2009 albums Joe Lovano albums Blue Note Records albums