Paramount Quartet

I know Joe Lovano by name mostly. I, probably, have heard him as a sideman somewhere, but I never explored his solo catalogue.

But, since Paramount Quartet came out on ECM, and the line up sounded promising (sax, guitar, bass, drums), I thought, why not? Maybe it's time I dig into this music?

Well, it didn't knock me down, to say the least. By track four I was checking how much of the record remained, hardly a reaction one should have when listening...

To be fair, it's not a disastrous record. But I think it's one more for Lovano's devotees than casual listeners like me. And perhaps that's fine. If you follow Lovano's career, and his playing works for you, then you'd probably like this album, too.

Me? I wonder if there's a better entry point into his catalogue.

What I've discovered about Paramount Quartet

• Paramount Quartet is Lovan's fifth release on ECM as a leader.
• The album includes five original compositions by Lovano, plus two covers (Charlie Haden's First Song, and Wayne Shorter's Lady Day.)
• This isn't the first time these four players have played together. From what I gathered, the quartet's formation traces to a 2023 fundraiser for Puerto Rican hurricane relief, where Lovano first connected with Debriano and Calhoun.

About the music

Compositions on Paramount Quartet move between bop-rooted modern jazz and a more open-ended, almost free-form playing (and that's where my gripe with this record begins.)

When the quartet plays structured compositions, the music is compelling and I do enjoy it. But when they turn to more free playing, they loose me.

I don't connect with this music. In fact, it makes me feel as if I was downgraded to a role of a passive observer of the creative process Someone who's perhaps allowed to witness this performance, certainly expected to admire it, but never get anything from it.

It's only the last composition, Congregation, finally shows what this quartet can really do. And as it turns out, they can pull some serious playing. It is easily the most engaging playing on the record. It's only a pity that it arrives so late, and only once.

The sound

Sound is another issue I have with this record.

For one, there is hardly any dynamics. The recording is technically clear, instruments are well-defined, and the drums in particular have a lovely, natural sound.

But the difference between a quiet passage and a loud one is essentially just volume.

The soundstage is another matter. It is technically wide, but mostly because the drums are pushed out to fill the sides. Take them out and the soundstage collapses to the narrow centre with only guitar moved slightly to the right.

On a bright side, at least one instrument got moved away from the centre. I recently reviewed Kazuki Yamanaka's Humanity, and there, all instruments sit right in the centre, making it almost impossible to hear the music properly.