Saxophone Summit

When saxophonists Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, and Joe Lovano unite as Saxophone Summit, the result is a powerhouse ensemble that revives the hard bop blowing sessions and heated battles familiar from earlier decades. The trio coalesced naturally rather than through any label-driven scheme, holding its first unofficial meeting in Japan in 1997. That nation marked the tenth anniversary of the Coltrane tribute concert and festival Live Under the Sky by staging Live by the Sea; Joshua Redman, Mike Brecker, Dave Liebman, and George Garzone—who substituted after Joe Lovano canceled at the last minute—delivered a performance that electrified audiences. Brecker, Liebman, and Lovano revisited the same program a year later at the Red Sea Festival in Eilat, Israel. Months afterward they completed a week-long run at Birdland in New York City that triggered festival invitations from every continent. Individual schedules kept the project largely inactive until 2003, when the three saxophonists reassembled for a European tour. Joined by Phil Markowitz on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Hart on drums, they performed thirteen concerts across nine countries in two weeks. Telarc documented that configuration with the August 2004 release of Gathering of Spirits.