Joe Lovano and his Polish conspirators from the Marcin Wasilewski trio are endowed with an especially adventurous spirit on their second joint endeavour for ECM. Building on the lyrical strengths that inhabited the group’s previous recording (Arctic Riff, 2020), on Homage the quartet moreover investigates the type of free-flowing interplay and expansive passages of improvisation that have become a staple in Lovano’s ventures with his trio tapestry.

Clocking in at over ten minutes each, two long-form compositions and the title track “Homage” – all Lovano originals – make up the bedrock of the album and find the players at their most exploratory, with Joe frequently swapping out his tenor and tárogató for a variety of percussion instruments. The group’s pass at “Love In The Garden”, a composition by the Polish violin virtuoso Zbigniew Seifert, embellishes the evocative melody with fluid harmonies, wrapped in haunting rubato tides. Improvised miniatures complete a programme that proves Wasilewski and his trio cohorts to be the ideal match for Lovano’s singular musings and the group’s seamless chemistry is more apparent than ever on Homage

PERSONNEL:
Joe Lovano - (tenor saxophone)
Marcin Wasilewski - (piano)
Slawomir Kurkiewicz - (double bass)
Michal Miskiewicz - (drums)

Recorded on November 2023, Van Gelder Studio, New Jersey

TRACKS:
A1. Love In The Garden
A2. Golden Horn
A3. Homage

B1. Giving Thanks
B2. This Side - Catville
B3. Projection