A photo of the members of Love Call (L - R: Devin Drobka on drums, Ethan Philion on bass, and Max Bessesen on alto saxophone) playing together in a room with wood board walls and four windows.
Ethan Philion
Love Call is a collaborative trio consisting of saxophonist Max Bessesen, bassist Ethan Philion, and drummer Devin Drobka. The group formed during the height of the pandemic, when Philion and Bessesen coped with their lack of performance opportunities by exploring adventurous new repertoire and free improvisation together. Once restrictions were lifted, the duo reunited with longtime collaborator Drobka, and the unit began to collaborate on new music.
Even though the group’s members live in different cities (New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee), Love Call has gathered to perform several times a year since then. 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. In 2024, the trio were artists in residence at Avaloch Farms and toured through the East Coast and Midwest before recording their debut album.
Philion is based in Chicago, where he has performed with artists including Russ Johnson, Greg Ward, Mark Feldman, and Dana Hall. He has been praised by the Washington Post for his "astounding musicality." Bessesen, an NYC resident who has performed with Ron Miles, Tyler Mitchell, Darcy James Argue, Mimi Jones, and others, is described by JAZZIZ as “stirringly emotive” and "pushing boundaries without being abstruse." Drobka lives in Milwaukee and has worked with a wide variety of artists including Joe Lovano, Mario Pavonne, Greg Osby, and Cecil McBee. Chicago Reader describes his music as “pithy” and says, “There isn't much that sounds like this today."
The musicians:
Max Bessesen - alto saxophone
Ethan Philion - bass
Devin Drobka - drums