Henry Mermer

Shawn Lovato: Biotic

by Troy Dostert
March 26, 2026

On his two previous releases, bassist Shawn Lovato revealed an inventive compositional approach that made excellent use of his ensembles. His debut, Cycles of Animation (Skirl Records, 2017), harnessed a formidable quintet while his sophomore effort, Microcosms, was more ambitious still, channeling his creative vision through a sextet format (ears&eyes Records, 2022). For Biotic, in contrast, Lovato is going small, with just a trio--although the sound is anything but diminutive, particularly with the tensile strength of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock in ...