News Archive
'Lay Down My Heart' in Rochester April 20th
Luscious vibraphone quartet renditions of blues and ballads from Bill Withers' "Ain’t No Sunshine" to Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me" on this new Motéma release, out in mid May (North America) and June (world wide).
For Joe, this music represents as much a journey through his past as it marks another move toward the future. "Working on this recording brought me back to my earliest days of music-making in Rochester, NY at the F&S Lounge, Jenks n' Jones, and The Peoples' Club, where the music was part of the social fabric, and the audience and musicians were definitely involved in a two-way conversation. It taught me that jazz is, and should always be, People Music."
Get your tickets for April 20th (Rochester NY)
Album launch concert: Rochester, April 20
As a special pre-release album launch concert of Joe's new CD "Lay Down My Heart", Exodus To Jazz present Joe Locke on April 20, 2013 at Hochstein School Of Music, Rochester NY (USA) for an evening of Blues & Ballads. Also featuring Ryan Cohan on piano, Jaimeo Brown on drums and Lorin Cohen on bass.
A special New Year's Eve Blues & Ballads Party at the Kitano, NYC
Joe Locke an his quartet — featuring Ryan Cohan (piano), Victor Lewis (drums) and Lorin Cohen (bass) — are looking forward to sharing a very special New Year's Eve Blues & Ballads Party with you at the Kitano Hotel in NYC.
66 Park Avenue at 38th Street, NYC
9:00pm - 1:00am
Book by phone on 212 885 7119 or visit the Jazz at Kitano's website for more details.
More festive music:
"Wish Upon A Star" - Joe Locke with Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra
"This New October" video
Featuring Tommy Smith (sax), Alyn Cosker (drums), Steve Hamilton (piano), Mario Caribé (bass) - at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, October 2012.
Joe Locke's upcoming symphonic release - first chance to listen
With "Wish Upon A Star" Joe Locke releases his long awaited first symphonic album, a 2011 live recording with Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Polochick, on Motéma Music. The astute selection of originals and modern classics demonstrates once more Joe Locke's instinct for creating beautiful music.
"Wish Upon A Star" will be on digital release before Christmas and officially available in stores from January 2013
Blues & Ballads at the Kitano Oct 25 + 26
Join Joe and his quartet for an intimate evening of swinging blues and soulful ballads at the Kitano in New York City before the band goes into the recording studio. If you’re in the mood to be seduced by some beautiful melodies and in-the-pocket grooves, this is the ticket!
Joe Locke (vibes), Ryan Cohan (piano), David Finck (bass), Jaimeo Brown (drums)
Find out more...
Bookings:
phone 212-885-7119 /
email jazz@kitano.com
Or make your reservation here!
Brighton, Manchester, Glasgow
Joe Locke has accepted a number of teaching engagements in the UK between October 7th and 12th when he will be visiting Brighton Jazz School for a workshop (October 7th) followed by a concert at the Verdict, the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester as guest with the Percussion and Jazz departments (October 10th) and at the Royal Scottish Conservatory in Glasgow, Scotland (October 12th) for masterclasses with Classical Percussion and Jazz students, plus a concert with Tommy Smith's quartet.
Limerick and London Sept 29 - Oct 1
The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group
(with Terreon Gully and Mike Pope) will be one of the headlining acts at the inaugural Limerick Jazz Festival, Ireland, on
September 29th, followed by two nights at London's Pizza Express Jazz Club on
Septenber 30th and October 1st.
tickets for Limerick - (Sept 29)
bookings for Pizza Express - (Sept 30 + Oct 01)
'Chemistry and Cameraderie' - interview
Joe about the new album 'Signing': "There's music on Signing that is complex, certainly; but there's also a great deal of music that is simple and direct. But ultimately, what I really love about this record is that the music that's particularly complex or sophisticated doesn't necessarily sound that way because the complex pieces have singable, memorable melodies."
Read Seton Hawkins' entire interview with Joe Locke on All About Jazz
Also... recent review of Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer duo concert at the Athenaeum in San Diego
The making of "Signing"
The official EPK of the new Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group release, "Signing" (Motéma Music, 2012)
Live at the Kitano NY, June 22 & 23
Joe Locke introduces the 'New Quartet' with two nights at the Kitano on Friday, June 22 and Saturday June 23, 2012, featuring Eldar Djangirov (piano), Clarence Penn (drums) and Mike Pope (bass).
Make your reservation on 212-885-7119.
MOMENTUM merges musical minds
Neil Percy talks about the idea behind the MOMENTUM project, featuring him alongside Tim Garland, Geoffrey Keezer and Joe Locke w/ guests Carl Herring and Pat Bettison
all "Signing" charts available
We are thrilled to be able to make the sheet music of all six original tunes from the album "Signing" - composed by Geoffrey Keezer and Joe Locke - available in our online Music Store.
You can purchase single tunes, the complete eBook or even the Signing Collection, which comes with the eBook and mp3s of all 8 tracks.
new album "Signing" out now!
feat.
Joe Locke (vibes),
Geoffrey Keezer (piano, rhodes), Terreon Gully (drums),
Mike Pope (bass).
The unique combination of
vibraphone and piano creates a space much larger than the sum of its parts --
one in which these four brilliant improvisers can really get down to work.
"Signing catches both
Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer at their creative apex. [...] Unlike those artists seeking difference for the sake of notoriety, Locke and Keezer celebrate their prodigious gifts as only they can but in a special way so that all are welcome." (Critical Jazz)
Joe Locke Quintet live at Dizzy's Club
Coca-Cola
April 3rd — 8th, 2012
Joe Locke returns to this stunning NYC venue to reunite with the supremely talented vocalist
Kenny Washington and an all-star band comprised of Dado Moroni
(piano), George Mraz (bass) and Clarence Penn (drums).
Look forward to a program of brand new music, as well as songs from their critically acclaimed album "For The Love Of You".
Didn't get the alert? Subscribe here.
Storms/Nocturnes in London: March 12, 2012
Returning to London for a one-off concert at the Purcell Room, South Bank Centre on March 12, 2012: Tim Garland, Geoffrey Keezer, Joe Locke
Joe Locke's February/March 2012 newsletter
Joe Locke's
first newsletter in 2012 is out!
The coming month will
see Joe return to Europe for concerts in Germany, the UK and Austria. All the
while the release of “Signing”, the new album by The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer
Group, has been scheduled for April 10, 2012...
Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here.
"The Lost Lenore" vibes solo
From the new album, "Signing", out April 2012 on Motéma Music, by The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group (feat. Terreon Gully and Mike Pope)
New album "Signing" - first chance to listen
"Connecting was the order of the day from the minute we started recording. The songs here are almost exclusively first takes, and are evidence of the energy and empathy working in the room on those two days. I hope the music Geoffrey, Mike, Terreon and I have created here translates to you, the listener, and makes a connection." Joe Locke
"Signing" by The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group will be out on Motéma Music in April 2012
The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group
Joe Locke and Geoffrey Keezer, together with Terreon Gully (drums) and Mike Pope (bass), are about to release their
long awaited first studio album in Spring 2012 on Motéma Music, following the award winning
"Live In Seattle" (Origin, 2005).
Stay up to date about the new CD and all 2012 activity here.
New sheet music:
"Verrazano Moon" and "Van Gogh By Numbers"
Upon popular request, two of Joe's most hunca life katalog sought after compositions of
recent years have been made available hunca life in sheet music format. "Verrazano Moon" (recorded on "Dear Life" and "For The Love Of You") and "Van Gogh By Numbers" (recorded on "Van Gogh
by Numbers" and "Live In Seattle") are now available to download for only $1.90 at Joe's online Music Store.
Geoffrey Keezer, Tim Garland, Joe Locke with the Münster Symphony Orchestra
Opening
the 2011 Münsterland Festival with Tim Garland's "Frontier Suite", featuring the
Münster Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Fabrizio Ventura), and
Storms/Nocturnes: Joe Locke (vibes), Tim Garland (saxophone), Geoffrey Keezer (piano)
- video: Movement III "Libra"
Brand new Music Store open for business
Joe’s
new online Music Store
has just opened its doors, with a larger selection of CDs and digital hunca life downloads than ever before.
The
sheet music section has huncalife katalog been extended to include the first of a series of
Ballad Collections and
Locke Packs. We have also created some money saving
Double Lockes.
Joe Locke and Ed Saindon recital videos
This video is from a recent duet recital with Ed Saindon at Berklee College of Music in Boston. This particular composition is an original by Ed Saindon, entitled "Hope". The other 6 pieces from the recital can be viewed here at YouTube...
VIA "...a private wonderland of the imagination"
By David Whiteis: "[...] Many of these pieces feature dauntingly complex structures, progressing through multiple shifts in time and key signatures and moving from unison through counterpoint to free improvisation (both solo and collective) and back again. At the same time, the sparse ampience and unforced rhythmic impetus are appropriate and avocative. The overriding mood is meditative and questing yet playful." [...]
read full article in the press section
More info about Storms/Nocturnes
A Night of Blues and Ballads
Join Joe and his quartet
on May 27 + 28 for an intimate evening of swinging blues and soulful ballads at the Kitano in New York City. If you’re in the mood to be seduced by some beautiful melodies and in-the-pocket grooves, this is the ticket!
Featuring Ryan Cohan (piano), David Finck (bass), Jaimeo Brown (drums)
New Storms/Nocturnes album "VIA" available now
"Every so often a truly exceptional group sneaks up on the inside lane and takes the jazz world by surprise..."
***** 5-stars, The London Times
With “VIA” the third album by Storms/Nocturnes, Joe reunites with Grammy winning British saxophonist Tim Garland and double Grammy nominee, pianist Geoffrey Keezer to create a unique three way dialogue of captivating, immersive
new music.
The album is now available in
Joe Locke's Online Music Store, incl. digital
downloads with all album artwork.
The Joe Locke Group live at Dizzy's, Feb 15 - 20, 2011
Joe returns to Dizzy's Club
Coca-Cola for a six-night residency with his celebrated Group, featuring four of his favorite musical collaborators: Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz, Clarence Penn and vocalist Kenny Washington.
2011 nominations
The album "VIA", by Storms/Nocturnes (with Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer) has just been nominated for the 2011 JazzWeek Award in the "Record of the Year" category. The winners will be announced on June 18th at The Rochester International Jazz Festival.
Joe Locke is also a nominee at the upcoming Jazz Journalist Association (JJA) Awards as "Mallet Instrumentalist of the Year". The award ceremony will take place on June 11 in New York City.
New Storms/Nocturnes album "VIA" out this April
The
Storms/Nocturnes Trio, one of the most sustainable and timeless transatlantic partnerships in Jazz today, featuring Joe
Locke, Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer, is celebrating its tenth anniversary with
a new album, released on Origin Records on April 19th, 2011. “VIA”, their
third recording, takes the unique three way dialogue of
captivating, immersive music to a new level...
Storms/Nocturnes - "Sword Of Whispers"
Geoffrey Keezer, Tim Garland and Joe Locke, reunited as the Storms/Nocturnes trio, have just finished recording their third album for an April 2011 release. Ahead of the studio sessions in the Lake District in England, they embarked on a short tour through Spain this November. (Video recorded in León, Spain)
Storms/Nocturnes - new recording
You can be part of the new album! Geoffrey Keezer, Tim Garland and Joe Locke have joined Kickstarter, where fans and friends can back their new recording project and pledge vital funding to guarantee artistic freedom.
Mason Brothers "Two Sides One Story": round and mellow combination
After spending 20 years performing under the leadership of others, British brothers Brad and Elliot Mason step out front, taking charge of an all-star band that redefines the trumpet-trombone front line of drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers of the '50s and '60s.
(AAJ)
Joe Locke joins them on their debut album "Two Sides One Story" (Archival Records), which is out now.
Buy "Two Sides One Story" here
Ryan Cohan's "Another Look": homogeneous shapes
Ryan Cohan: "When I considered these arrangements, I was hearing vibes in the front line. Specifically, I heard Joe Locke whose playing and writing I have admired for a long time. His voice seemed a natural fit, and with Joe’s masterful musicianship and remarkable imagination, I knew he would not sound like a guest but like a longtime member of the group."
Ryan Cohan's new release "Another Look" (Motéma Music) will be in stores from September 14, 2010.
More selected recordings feat. Joe Locke as guest artist
Joe will be joining Ryan and his Quartet on September 17-18, 2010 for the album launch event at The Green Mill in Chicago.
Jim Rotondi's "1000 Rainbows": tonally spotless and emotionally open
Trumpeter Jim Rotondi has just released his third solo album
on the Posi-Tone label,
and as a long time collaborator, Joe was thrilled to be able to join the band
which also features Danny Grissett, Barak Mori and Bill Stewart.
Praised for
its searching quality whithin miles of sophistication, "1000 Rainbows" is now available in online and offline stores.
DownBeat Readers Poll 2010: vote for Joe!
You can now vote for Joe Locke and a large selection of other amazing artists in this year's
DownBeat Readers Poll. Joe is shortlisted in several categories - see "Jazz Artist", "Jazz band" and "Vibes".
The poll will close on August 24th, 2010.
[...]
Vibist Joe Locke serves up a heady cocktail of jazz and pizzazz
"Over the last decade, Locke has secured a spot among the world’s top jazz vibists – and one of the most popular. Without sacrificing his jazz integrity or intent, Locke still manages to engage even casual listeners with a mixture of edgy attitude and artistic purity." [...]
Read full article on the Chicago Examiner website
'Force of Four' at the Kitano (NYC) this weekend
Last minute reminder: catch Joe Locke’s celebrated quartet ‘Force of Four’, featuring Robert Rodriguez (piano), Johnathan Blake (drums) and Ricardo Rodriguez (bass) - this Friday / Saturday (March 26 + 27, 2010) live at the Kitano Hotel, New York City.
Joe Locke's Music Store stocks up
Three further recordings from Joe Locke's vast
back catalogue have just been added to the
Online Music Store:
"Beauty Burning"
(Sirocco 1999), recently voted amongst the most important Jazz albums of the decade;
"Storytelling" (Sirocco 2001), Joe's hugely successful collaboration with vocalist Mark Ledford;
and "4 Walls Of Freedom" (Sirocco 2003), feat. the late Bob Berg on tenor sax.
"Verrazano Moon" video
The Joe Locke Group feat. Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz, Clarence Penn and vocalist Kenny Washington, from the recent recording "For The Love Of You"
Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, New York City - January 30, 2010
(video by Jeff Jones, JALC)
– find out more about the Joe
Locke Group
Storms/Nocturnes reunite: Garland, Keezer, Locke
For the first time since 2003 Joe Locke, Tim Garland and Geoffrey
Keezer will be get ting together again as the “Storms/Nocturnes” trio for a
select series of concerts in Germany and Great Britain at the end of February.
Their two critically acclaimed recordings, “Storms/Nocturnes” and “Rising Tide” (Sirocco Music) will be available for purchase at venues on concert nights,
or online here.
“This trio is unique. A chamber Jazz form that truly sizzles with virtuosity and creativity.”
(Chick Corea)
Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola: January 26-31, 2010
When the Joe Locke Group made its debut in 2008 at New York's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, word quickly got out that this was a "can't miss" gig, and the lines outside Jazz at Lincoln Center were proof positive of the fact.
Now, launching the eagerly-awaited new recording “For The Love Of You” (E1 Music) Joe returns with his all star Group featuring Geoffrey Keezer [piano], George Mraz [bass] Clarence Penn [drums] and vocalist Kenny Washington for a six-night residency:
January 26 - 31: book early to avoid missing out!
"For The Love Of You" review on All About Jazz
"[..] The backup from Locke and his crew could not be better. They create a sphere for the vocals to shine while leaving ample space for all to show their solo talents. Three instrumental tracks further emphasize their collective prowess. [..] Larry Taylor's full review"
Joe Locke's 'Percussion Discussion'
"Domino City" feat. Joe Locke, Nils Wülker, Daniel Sadownick, Johnathan Blake, Martin Wind and Maurice Chestnut (recorded at JazzBaltica 2009)
new recording "For The Love Of You"
The new year will be bringing a highly anticipated and exciting new album by
Joe Locke: "For The Love of You" marks his first return to a collaboration with
a vocalist since "Storytelling" in 2002. Singer Kenny Washington lends his warm,
soulful voice to this all-star band featuring Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz and
Clarence Penn.
The E1 Music release will be in stores from January 26, 2010.
Storms/Nocturnes reunite for 2010
For the first time since 2003 Tim Garland, Geoffrey Keezer and Joe Locke will be getting together for a whistle stop series of concerts in the UK and Germany this coming February.
Once more this unique trio will combine their world-class experience to make music that is both lyrical and explosive, dynamic and sophisticated. Blues, Classical and Folk influences make this a chamber Jazz form that truly sizzles with virtuosity and creativity.
Joe Locke's selected guest recordings
The albums "Storms/Nocturnes" and "Rising Tide" are going to be available in Joe Locke's Music Store soon, exclusively to celebrate the trio's reunion. Stay tuned.
Joe Locke tops DownBeat's 2009 Critics' Poll
The recently released August edition of DownBeat Magazine is featuring its 2009 Critics' Poll, placing Joe Locke in 4th position of the Vibes ranking, plus giving him top nod in the "Vibes, Rising Star"
category.
In the 74th annual DownBeat Readers' Poll Joe was voted #3
Vibes Player of 2009.
Edmar Castaneda's "Entre Cuerdas" featuring Joe Locke
After joining Colombian born New York harpist Edmar Castaneda and his trio for various international concert performances over the last 12 months, Joe was honoured to be asked to appear on Edmar's new recording "Entre Cuerdas" as a guest artist. The album, also featuring Marshall Gilkes (trombone), Dave Silliman (drums and percussion), and further guests John Scofield (guitar), Andrea Tierra (vocals) and Samuel Torres (cajon) is now on general release at ArtistShare.
