Love Call at The North Street Cabaret – Madison, WI

BlueStem Jazz Presentation | Love Call is a collaborative trio consisting of saxophonist Max Bessesen, bassist Ethan Philion, and drummer Devin Drobka. The trio formed during the height of the pandemic when Philion and Bessesen coped with their lack of performance opportunities by exploring adventurous new repertoire together in private sessions away from the stage. These informal meetings eventually coalesced into an exploration of free improvisation and abstract composition. When restrictions lifted the duo reunited with longtime-collaborator Devin Drobka and the unit began to collaborate on new music and perform this material publicly around the country. Love Call performs several times a year ever since 2021 even though the group members lives in different cities (New York, Chicago, Milwaukee). The trio has a distinctive musical approach marked by a congenial sense of trust and a unique, intuitive group language. Their performances feature free improvisation and compositions by each member of the group. 

Philion is based in Chicago and he where he performs frequently with Ernest Dawkins, Mark Feldman, Greg Ward, Jon Irabagon, Russ Johnson, and more. He is praised for his “astounding musicality” by the Washington Post and deemed “a marvel” by Peter Margasek. Bessesen’s music is described by JAZZIZ as “pushing boundaries without being abstruse…stirringly emotive.” He lives in New York city and has performed with Ron Miles, Tyler Mitchell, Darcy James Argue, and more. Drobka resides in Milwaukee and has worked with a wide variety of artists including Joe Lovano, Mario Pavonne, Greg Osby, Cecil McBee, and more. Chicago Reader describes his music as “pithy…There isn’t much in the midwest that sounds like this today.”