Spring Quartet Featuring DeJohnette, Lovano, Spalding & Genovese Announced At The Ford

Ford Theatres presents The Spring Quartet -- Jack DeJohnette, Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spalding and Leo Genovese -- on Saturday, April 27 at 8:00 pm as part of its IGNITE @ the FORD! series. The Arts Desk said, "An expansive, freewheeling rampage, ideas flying out like sparks from a roaring fire, as Spalding, Lovano and Genovese all charmed the room with their gregarious solo work, all held together by DeJohnette's deliciously light touch." The Boston Globe said, "This is one supergroup that adds up to more than the sum of its chops."


NEA Master, GRAMMY Award-winner, drummer and composer Jack DeJohnette knows the multifaceted worlds of jazz and jazz-rock as thoroughly as anyone alive - and has been hailed by The New York Times as "one of the greatest musicians in jazz history." In addition to his seminal work with Miles Davis, Charles Lloyd and his own Special Edition, DeJohnette has been one third of piano luminary Keith Jarrett's sublime trio for the last three decades.

GRAMMY Award-winning saxophone giant Joe Lovano has distinguished himself as a prescient and path-finding force in the arena of creative music. With two-dozen albums for Blue Note, Lovano, a former member of the SFJAZZ Collective, is one of the era's definitive improvisers and bandleaders. His newest ensemble, Us Five, includes Esperanza Spalding and won Lovano a triple crown in Downbeat's 2010 Critics Poll for Jazz Artist of the Year, Tenor Saxophonist and Jazz Group.

Esperanza Spalding has always resolutely, intuitively, and deftly expanded upon both her art and herself as a world-renowned genre-bending composer, bassist, and vocalist. Spalding, a virtuosic bassist and luminous vocalist, was already the brightest young star in jazz before her unprecedented 2011 Best New Artist GRAMMY Award. She has become an international phenomenon, and her 2012 release, Radio Music Society, debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard album charts.

The formidable Argentinean pianist Leo Genovese, a longtime Spalding collaborator, rounds out the band. Genovese has established a solid reputation as an instrumentalist and composer who is not afraid to explore the lesser known corners of the musical landscape.

John Fordham in The Guardian said, "Three of the recently formed Spring Quartet's members - drummer Jack DeJohnette, saxophonist Joe Lovano and bassist Esperanza Spalding - are stars (the first two as long-time jazz heroes, Spalding as a Grammy-winning new talent with both a pop and jazz following), and fourth member Leo Genovese, a fiery young world-jazz piano virtuoso, is close on their heels ... [while] their loose methods and wide references connect them with forebears including Miles Davis's 1960s quintet and DeJohnette's genre-crossing Special Edition groups of the '80s ... plenty of fresh music filled the Spring Quartet's 90 crowded minutes on the stage."

This event is part of IGNITE @ the FORD!, a series comprised of world-renowned contemporary artists whose work is thought-provoking and reflects the world in which we live. Proceeds from IGNITE @ the FORD! events benefit the Ford Theatre Foundation. Tickets are available online at FordTheatres.org and by phone (323) 461-3673. Ford Theatres is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068.