La triple corona de Joe Lovano a 'DownBeat'

El saxofonista Joe Lovano acaba de guanyar aquest any l'anomenada triple corona del Critics Poll de la revista DownBeat, en la seva edició número 58. Artista de l'any (per davant de Sonny Rollins i Ornette Coleman), grup amb Us Five (darrere, el trio Jarrett-Peacock-DeJohnette i el Branford Marsalis Quartet) i saxo tenor (per davant de Sonny Rollins de nou i de Chris Potter).

Lovano va aprofitar la seva recent estada a Barcelona (divendres passat va tocar al Grec com a convidat especial de McCoy Tyner) per agrair a l'equip de The Project i al doctor que el va operar a la Clínica Quirón, Andrés Combalia, les atencions rebudes el passat novembre, quan va haver de ser operat d'urgència a Barcelona. El saxofonista i la seva esposa, la cantant Judi Silvano, van voler-ho celebrar convidant el doctor Combalia i part de l'equip de The Project a un dinar a Monvínic, probablement (ho diu The Wall Street Journal) el millor wine bar del món.

Així comença l'article de DownBeat, firmat per Dan Ouellette, que aquells dies de novembre també era a Barcelona.

The best jazz saxophonist in the land tumbled and was laid low—at least momentarily—but rebounded, albeit slowly.

Last November, Joe Lovano ambled cautiously into the breakfast room at the Hotel Alexandra in Barcelona, Spain, on the day he was to perform with his nonet at the city’s jazz festival. His left arm heavily bandaged so as to be immobilized, he had the fingers of his left hand exposed so that he could play the keys of his saxophones.

He arrived the day before, which was when he contacted the festival’s artistic director, Joan Cararach. “Don’t be shocked when you see me,” Lovano told him and explained his situation. “But don’t worry, I can play.” That night Lovano had dinner with Cararach and his good friend Bruce Lundvall (head of Blue Note Records), then rose early the next morning to get ready to play his third gig since the unfortunate accident. What happened? “I had a little misstep,” Lovano said, mildly irked but not downtrodden by the disability. Per usual, the jovial saxophonist smiled and downplayed the mishap that happened two nights earlier in Lausanne, Switzerland.

L'article sencer, aquí.