Home » Jazz Articles » Interview » Joe Locke: Chemistry and Camaraderie

19

Joe Locke: Chemistry and Camaraderie

By

Sign in to view read count
Even within a musical genre noted for its artists' restless creativity and ability to meld and merge with other styles, vibraphonist Joe Locke stands out as exceptional for his unceasing musical curiosity and sweeping vision. Since his arrival on the New York jazz scene nearly 30 years ago, Locke has amassed a performance résumé that includes work with artists ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Gunther Schuller to Cecil Taylor, a catalogue of nearly 30 albums as a bandleader, and a place as one of the most influential vibraphonists in jazz history.

A highly skilled collaborator whose musical voice melds smoothly with disparate artists, Locke has found a particular resonance with pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Forming an ensemble that would ultimately be known as The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, the two artists have performed and recorded extensively together, both in their own group and in the Storms/Nocturnes trio with woodwind multi-instrumentalist Tim Garland. While the Locke/Keezer Group temporarily went on a hiatus following 2006's exemplary Live in Seattle (Origin Music), the ensemble has since reunited to release Signing (Motéma, 2012). Featuring Locke and Keezer, alongside bassist Mike Pope and drummer Terreon Gully, Signing represents a veritable master class in the range of styles Locke and Keezer can deeply explore. Indeed, from the dark groove of the title track to the stark simplicity of "This Is Just to Say," to even a reverently faithful cover of Imogen Heap's pop masterwork "Hide and Seek," Signing stands as an extraordinary traverse of music—a reminder, for even the most jaded and cynical, of the undiluted joys of music making.

All About Jazz: Let's talk about the origin of this group. How did you and Geoffrey Keezer meet?

Joe Locke: I've been playing with Geoff for nearly 20 years. Although we went for quite a while without seeing one another, ultimately we reunited in the Storms/Nocturnes trio with Tim Garland and its subsequent touring. Later, Geoff was invited to record for Sony-Japan, and he was asked to select a horn player for the dates. Geoff replied that he didn't want a horn player; rather, he wanted me, and that marked the beginning of this quartet.

We recorded two albums in Japan under the moniker of the New Sound Quartet. The first, Summer Knows, was with Ed Howard and Terreon Gully, while the second album, Summertime (2004), featured Robert Hurst, Billy Kilson, and Eddie Henderson. We found a wonderful vibe performing as a group, but found on those two records that we were pushed more into recording standards. Then, in 2005, Geoff and I recorded Live in Seattle for Origin Music with our group, and we were encouraged to follow our vision on this album.

For me, that marked the real birth of this ensemble. The experience was incredible and made us want to continue this collaboration. We showed up for the date on no sleep whatsoever—we were, literally, Sleepless in Seattle—and it was the first time we had seen the music. But the chemistry was incredible, and that's what you hear on the album. These are really amazing cats.

Joe Locke Geoffrey Keezer Group—Live in SeattleAAJ: What led to the large space of time between Live in Seattle and Signing?

JL: We got involved in a number of different projects with other artists. Obviously, Storms/Nocturnes took up some of the slack, and Geoff got involved in a number of his projects. But this was always something I wanted to revisit, and the possibility really emerged when I signed with Motéma Records. I made it clear that I wanted to return to the Locke/Keezer Group, and so we worked out everyone's schedules and made it happen.

What I love is that while this album is a studio album, it still captures the same energy as the Live in Seattle record. We flew in from different cities with no rehearsal time. In fact, we simply gathered, talked through the music, and dove headfirst into recording. Almost everything on the record is a first take, and I think it demonstrates the remarkable chemistry of the group. We're completely in the moment on Signing, and I'm really happy with how it came out.

AAJ: Can you talk about the inspiration behind some of the pieces on Signing? Let's start with the title track.

JL: This notion defined the theme of the entire album. We constantly send signs to one another, and are always throwing signs everywhere, no matter the context: friendship, hostility, you name it. I think most of the signs we make each day are reflecting our efforts to make contact with one another.

My mother was a teacher of the deaf early in her life, prior to her meeting my dad. After he passed away, she moved to an apartment building nearby. Every day, when she went outside for fresh air, she noticed a man sitting alone in the lobby. She ultimately realized that he was deaf and blind, and so she walked over, sat next to him, put his open hand on hers and finger-spelled "My name is Mary." With that gesture, her life came full circle as his life opened up, and that connection they made remained unbroken throughout the rest of her life.

I think music can do the same for people who need to be reached in that way, and I believe that the prime directive for us is to connect and communicate. 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.

AAJ: You're also inspired by poetry in a number of these compositions: "The Lost Lenore" is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, while "This Is Just to Say" is inspired by William Carlos Williams. The Williams poem, in particular, certainly resonates with your goal of reaching people in a simple and direct way.



JL: When I was thinking about recording this album, I happened to be reading some of Williams' poetry, and stumbled across his poem "This Is Just to Say." It's a simple and beautiful piece of work about a man who takes a plum from his friend's icebox, eats it, and then writes his friend a brief note apologizing for doing so. It couldn't be simpler than that, and I found something so moving in this directness. I wanted to write something comparable within music.

For that, I was also inspired by the singer Bettye LaVette. The way she sings is so direct and her ability to connect with listeners is so visceral. I took these two sources of inspiration as my starting point. While I don't think I'll ever reach the level of William Carlos Williams, I was certainly aiming for that as I wrote the piece.

"The Lost Lenore" was written after I reread Poe's poem "The Raven." I returned to the work after a number of years, and I realized the degree to which the poem is a meditation on unrequited love. The narrator is pining for Lenore, and I wondered who she was and what she sounded like. We first recorded this piece with Storms/Nocturnes, and decided to revisit it on this album. Consequently Lenore is still brooding, but on this new version she's a bit more urban. She's got a little bit of funk in her now!

AAJ: "Lost Lenore" is one of two tracks on this album that were originally recorded by Storms/Nocturnes. The other is "Sanctuary," which Storms/Nocturnes released last year.

JL: For a while I had really been hearing these two pieces for the Locke/Keezer Group. I'm glad we did it, because I think "Sanctuary," in particular, was almost made for Terreon Gully and Mike Pope to play. They each bring rich new characters to the piece, which really develops a new level of forward motion.

For me, it was a welcome change of pace. Performing "Sanctuary" with Storms/Nocturnes placed me in more of an accompaniment role against the piano and bass clarinet, while here I can play the clarinet's melody on the vibes and be the "singer," as it were. So, it was a wonderful pleasure to revisit the tune.

AAJ: Another surprise on this recording is the thorough reworking of John Coltrane's "Naima." How did that version come about?

JL: This piece has a multilayered history for me. I wrote a piece called "Snowfall in Central Park," interestingly enough, for my earlier group with Geoff, the New Sound Quartet. We recorded it for the album Summertime, and Eddie Henderson guests on flugelhorn. In fact, Geoff and I also recorded it last year with Tim Garland for the Storms/Nocturnes album VIA (Origin, 2011).

Later, I was commissioned to write for the Scottish National Orchestra, focusing on the music of John Coltrane. I decided to do a big band arrangement of "Naima," and as I prepared the arrangement, the arpeggios of "Snowfall in Central Park" came into my head. I started playing with this idea, of linking the melody of "Naima" with the arpeggios of "Snowfall in Central Park."

Joe Locke Geoffrey Keezer Group—Live in Seattle What resulted was wonderful. The arrangement maintains the integrity of "Naima," but in structure it draws from my piece. I'm thrilled with how it came out, and I had been hoping to record it again with this ensemble.

When people hear it for the first time, I think it takes them a while to realize that it is, indeed, "Naima." It was a lot of fun recording it with the quartet, and I take my hat off to these guys because it's a difficult arrangement and a very different conception of this piece.

AAJ: It's interesting that the two covers on this album are back to back, and that they juxtapose John Coltrane with Imogen Heap. What inspired you to cover "Hide and Seek"?

JL: It's quite simple: it's a tune that Geoff and I both love. When we were talking about repertoire for the new record, he told me that he really wanted to do a cover of "Hide and Seek," and I loved the idea.

What we did was a literal transcription of the original tune. The vibes hold the melody, but we didn't steer far from the original. Sometimes, when you cover a piece, you can really turn it inside out; in fact, I think that's the tendency with jazz musicians. However, if you love a piece of music, I think there's something to be said for stating it simply and in a straight-ahead fashion. I remember that I once did a transcription of Joni Mitchell's "Blue" with [pianist] Billy Childs and [bassist] Rufus Reid on the album Slander (And Other Love Songs) (Milestone, 1998), and it's a very faithful transcription. To me it suggests that if you love a piece of music, you don't have to change it.

AAJ: That's an interesting challenge: to play straight through the two verses with very subtle timbral changes. Did you feel any difficulties in doing that?

JL: It's intriguing when you do instrumental covers of vocal works. You're always trying to tell the story, but with instrumental takes you don't necessarily need the second verse. Nevertheless, there are little differences between the two verses that we thought would be nice to honor, because they were important musically.

I didn't think of it until just now, but what I find interesting about the Coltrane and Heap tunes back-to-back, is that the jazz piece is completely deconstructed, while the pop tune is a literal transcription. I think most musicians would have flipped it, but perhaps it just goes to show that there are a million ways to approach music.

AAJ: More generally, a number of moments on the album feature a dark, heavy sound in the rhythm section, more like a drum-and-bass album. It's unusual for a jazz album; how did it come about?

JL: The biggest difference is the drum sound. Terreon has a really unique drum identity, particularly in live performance, and we wanted to capture that on this recording. So, on the album—in particular on "Signing" and "Darth Alexis"—the drums are much more up front in the mix than you'd normally hear on a jazz recording. It was important to us, given the mission of the recording, to really pull the drums and the bass up in the mix so that you could feel the music, and so that these two voices wouldn't be muted in the recording.

AAJ: What else have you got coming up for Motéma?

JL: I'm doing a ballads and blues album. It will be a departure from this album, but will still reflect a big part of who I am as a musician, and I'm looking forward to it. The album will be slow, languid ballads, combined with blues, maybe not always "blues- in-form," but at least "blues-informed." I've wanted to do this type of album for a while, something that's for couples to enjoy, or something you can put on for some solace after a long day. With Motéma, I have the ability to do this, and I hope to continue the relationship for a long time. Jana Herzen is serious about what she does, and is an artist in her own right. But I think it's a great connection, and I think Signing really demonstrates that.

Selected Discography

The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, Signing (Motéma Music, 2012)

Storms/Nocturnes, VIA (Origin, 2011)

Joe Locke, For the Love of You (E1, 2010)

Joe Locke, Force of Four (Origin, 2008)

Joe Locke,
Sticks and Strings (Music Eyes, 2007)

The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, Live in Seattle (Origin, 2006)
Joe Locke/Christos Rafalidfes, Van Gogh by Numbers (Wire Walker, 2006)
Joe Locke, Rev- elation (Sharp Nine, 2005)

Joe Locke / 4 Walls of Freedom, Dear Life (Sirocco, 2004)

Photo Credits

Page 1: Eric Richmond

Page 2 (The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group): Marie Le Claire

Page 3: R. Andrew Lepley

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: A Conversation with Brad Mehldau
Jazz article: Meet Drummer Danny Gottlieb
Jazz article: Kim Parker: Reminiscing in Jazz
Jazz article: Meet Bobby Watson
Interview
Meet Bobby Watson

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.