[howardmartin3]

I was trying to remember if he played any soprano when I saw him live, and I think on both occasions he played tenor and straight alto but no soprano. His soprano sound hadn’t stuck out to me on recordings up until now, but this has piqued my curiosity.

Edited having listened to the above: I hear a strong Steve Lacy influence though with a personal approach and a rhythmic concept that’s less influenced by Monk.

 

[howardmartin3]

Agreed. This one is quite different! There’s more of the fluffiness, and there’s more vibrato as well. In the trio with Elvin above, there are understandably more nods to Coltrane, and here there are times where Lovano’s tone seems to be matching the trumpet. All this to say, I see what you mean about the fluffiness, and I appreciate the variety / flexibility in different groups / contexts.