Grammy-winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano stands alone at the vanguard of large and small group jazz. From his Grammy-nominated symphonic work to his role as Gary Burton Chair of Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music, the Cleveland native fearlessly challenges and pushes his conceptual and thematic ventures in a quest for new modes of artistic expression and new ways to define the jazz idiom. In 2014 Lovano won awards for Multi-reeds Player and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year from the Jazz Journalists Association and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year from DownBeat Magazine. He has released 23 celebrated albums on the Blue Note label; with the last three focusing on his quintet Us Five.

With his Classic Quartet, Lovano will explore the rich history of mainstream jazz through swing and bebop, ever soulful. An active proponent of straight-ahead jazz, notably collaborating with Hank Jones ten years ago, Lovano drives the edges while honoring the structures.