You might say that Joe Lovano was born with a silver saxophone in his mouth. His father, Tony ‘Big T’ Lovano, was a respected amateur saxophonist in the Cleveland area, a barber by day but by night, a respected jazz musician who shared a stage with some of the biggest names in the music, including be-bop pioneer Tadd Dameron and saxophone innovator Stan Getz. Born in 1952, Joseph Salvatore Lovano grew up in a house where saxophones were part of the furniture.

“I was really fortunate”, says Lovano firmly. “My Dad grew up in that generation, the same age as Coltrane and Miles. He heard Charlie Parker play, he heard Lester Young live in the room, he jammed with Coltrane!” He pauses to let that sink in. “Those experiences were really powerful man, and as I was growing up, he was telling those stories and he had all the records”.