Rova - Saxophone Diplomacy

This release features live recordings from their historic 1983 tour of Russia, Latvia, and Romania, which demonstrated Rova's talents for musical diplomacy, a blessing to all with whom they have collaborated. The Rova Saxophone Quartet is a San Francisco-based saxophone quartet that was formed in October 1977. The name "Rova" is an acronym formed from the last initials of the founding members: Jon Raskin, Larry Ochs, Andrew Voigt, and Bruce Ackley. When Voigt left in 1988, he was replaced by Steve Adams, but the ensemble did not change the acronym. The quartet's music is inspired by a wide range of influences, including John Cage, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Charles Ives, Edgard Varèse, and Olivier Messiaen. Their debut album, Cinema Rovaté, was released by Metalanguage Records in 1978. Metalanguage was founded in 1978 by Henry Kaiser and Ochs. In addition to Rova, it featured many independent artists and produced the Rova Arts Festival in 1980. Rova's 1983 tour of the Soviet Union was filmed and broadcast on PBS. In 1985, it became a non-profit organization.