PRISM Quartet and Joe Lovano’s “Forbidden Drive” is Refreshing Rep

When I googled Forbidden Drive, I came across a park road in Philly rather than PRISM's newest single in conjunction with jazz great Joe Lovano. Not that I would expect Google's SEO to anticipate a search for saxophone quartet music. Coincidentally the road that popped up is the inspiration of the piece. "Forbidden Drive" was released on the XAS records on July 16th. I began listening to the 13-minute genre-blending work while sitting in my backyard Saturday morning, and it quickly caught my interest. I abruptly ran down to my studio to take a more attentive listen and began writing down my initial thoughts.

Saxophone quartet repertoire is a labor of love, a vast sea of quartet rep constantly growing and being performed at the professional and collegiate level. In the last ten years, you find sax quartets regularly winning chamber competitions, and it is in part because of the amazing music written for the genre. If you were unaware, PRISM Quartet is one of the superstars of the sax quartet world. The group is spectacular; if you want to check out their bio, click right here. PRISM consists of four stellar American saxophonists: Timothy McAllister (soprano), Taimur Sullivan (Bari), Matthew Levy (Tenor), and Zachary Shemon (alto). These heavy hitters execute sax rep at the highest level. They released two albums in both 2018 and 2020 and have commissioned nearly 300 works. They burn out high-quality records at incredible speed and have a flawless uniform blend as a group. What they do, they do great, but is classical saxophone music—everything from string quartet transcriptions to more Avant Guard and aethereal styles. So the last few weeks, when I saw Facebook ads indicate they were releasing a new single featuring Grammy Award-winning Joe Lovano, my ears perked up. The piece did not disappoint.

"Forbidden Drive" begins with dissonant shifting sonorities leading into beautiful lines, clearly in the classical vein. The quartet completes the intro, and Lovano hints at the melody with a haunting subtone. He completely contrasts PRISM's pure, uniform blend with a free-blowing timbre that creates an unusual color palette for the perceived genre. A chorale follows with unexpected suspensions sustained perfectly in tune as Lovano returns to solo in front of the quartet. It's beautiful arranging that develops increasingly complex textures. Just as you think you have a feel for where the piece is going, the bari sax drops in with a cell-like bassline and distinct jazz tone that supports Lovano's next round of improvisation. It's cool, and the piece is well-written, fun, and engaging. It never drags on and gives you enough development to feel fulfilled.

It turns out the work premiered back in 2017. You can find the original video on YouTube here. After the initial embarrassment of not being familiar with the piece, I felt more disappointed than anything. I love this sort of sax rep; challenging, well thought out, and genre-blending.

Saxophone repertoire can cover a broad spectrum of sound, from brassy-edged horns to mimicking gorgeous strings. The range from bari to soprano gives a uniformity comparable to a string quartet while allowing a wide range of tone colors. A sax quartet can cover every crevasse of a composer's imagination. Whether listening to early 20th century French repertoire to modern works by composers like Phillip Glass, sax quartet rep is mailable and has something for every listener. Blending jazz and classical repertoire is not the norm.

I find at elite levels; saxophonists generally join one of two camps, classical or jazz. This is understandable; mastering any genre is a lifelong commitment and being able to play each style to a high standard is a tall order. Getting to hear a group like PRISM play works like this is exciting because it doesn't happen often. I want more of it, and there is no reason it can't happen more often! This piece existed in the community for years, and I was unaware it existed. What other great works have I missed?

Back to "Forbidden Drive," once Sullivan's bari lays down that killer bass line, you hear it fleshed out in the other voices. This develops into contrapuntal textures that hit a climaxed wall of sound that reminds me of Coltrane calling out to God like in recordings of "A Love Supreme." The piece deflates intensity with the bari and tenor ringing out distant fog horns as Lovano closes out a few final ideas alongside beautifully executed altissimo from McAllister (sop) and Shemon (alto).

"Forbidden Drive" was composed by PRISM's very own Matthew Levy (Tenor). He also executive produced, edited, mixed, and mastered… he ran the gambit and did so flawlessly—an outstanding overall balance between the horns. So often, in classical recordings, you get a quiet mix due to working with extreme softs and louds. Levy nailed the production, even offering some additional distant effects from Lovano's playing in the recording, which I found to be tasteful. The recording is an example of what happens when a composer has complete control of his vision. The piece is a single for their upcoming album Heritage/Evolution, Volume 2, scheduled for release on August 13th, 2021. I also see a few other monster jazz players featured on the album, making a unique listening experience.

The release of "Forbidden Drive" was well executed. The social media hype was exciting, and the single was worth the bombarding advertisements (for once Facebook targeted correctly). It has been added to my sax playlist on Spotify, along with other great works. Hopefully, the recording sparks inspiration for further compositional blends for the repertoire. It isn't too often the classical saxophone world nails a release of a single. I hope the rest of the community is taking notes because this is how you should do it.