I made a somewhat last-minute to see The Spring Quartet at the Sanders Theatre last week.

Leo Genovese, Esperanza Spalding, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette (l to r)

I’d never seen Jack DeJohnette perform but have been extremely interested in doing so for many years.  I finally seized the opportunity.

This is a new collaboration among Jack DeJohnette (drums), Joe Lovano (saxophones), Esperanza Spalding (bass and vocals), and Leo Genovese (keyboards).  Their backgrounds are quite varied but they came together to deliver a fine jazz performance.

Note that photography is not allowed in the Sanders Theatre, so I took only a few shots of their curtain calls.

Because this is a new collaboration, I had no idea what to expect. The only member of the quartet who I had seen perform was Joe (I saw Esperanza on stage at the Prince show last December, but she was only dancing with the other people watching from the sides of the stage).

They performed numbers written by each member of the quartet and I liked them all equally. The style is a bit avant garde with some funk (courtesy of Leo, I believe) thrown in for good measure.

I loved watching Jack play – he made it seem effortless but I knew he was in complete control of his music.

Esperanza is terrific on both the bass and vocals; unfortunately she only ‘sang’ one number.

Joe is always wonderful to see perform. He played various saxophones, and his solos were some of the high spots of the concert.

The real surprise of the evening for me was Leo. I was sitting on the side of the stage where I could see his hands on the keys (he had three instruments – a grand piano and what appeared to be two synthesizer keyboards) which, as a pianist, I appreciate because I understand the difficulty in what the pianist is doing. He is now on my radar to see in either a solo show or with his band (presuming he has one).

There appeared to be very little ego on stage. They traded solos and were visibly appreciative of one another’s music.

As far as I know, this is an extremely limited tour so it may not be possible for you to see them. I would look out for each of them, individually or together, to perform in a city near you.