Jazz Articles about Joe Locke

Trio da Paz & Joe Locke: Live at JazzBaltica

by Ernest Barteldes
May 6, 2008

Jazz enthusiasts in Salzau, Germany were in for a great treat when New York-based Trio da Paz and vibraphonist Joe Locke had a memorable collaboration at Jazzbaltica in the summer of 2007. Locke fits in with the three longtime Brazilian musical partners quite well in a performance of material from the trio's palette, with the exception of one Locke original and a handful of standards. The disc opens with “Dona Maria," drummer Duduka da Fonseca's composition that ...

Joe Locke: Sticks and Strings & Both Sides of the Fence

by Celeste Sunderland
February 3, 2008

Joe Locke Sticks and Strings Jazzeyes 2007 Thomas Marriott Both Sides of the Fence Origin 2007

Peeved when my MacBook continuously spit out the new Joe Locke CD Sticks and Strings, my resentment vanished upon the moment I finally heard its opening notes. Locke's vibraphone chimes with a brilliance that vanquishes ...

Joe Locke: Sticks and Strings

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 15, 2008

Sticks and Strings di Joe Locke, ovvero le bacchette di batteria e vibrafono e le corde di chitarra e contrabbasso, è la terza uscita dedicata al jazz da parte di Musiceyes, etichetta indipendente siciliana che si sta mettendo in luce per la qualità, anche grafica, dei suoi prodotti. Il personaggio è di grosso calibro: piombato sulla scena jazzistica in giovanissima età, Locke riceve riconoscimenti dalla critica e consensi di pubblico in tutto il mondo, collaborando con musicisti assai diversi tra ...

The Joe Locke Quartet: Sticks and Strings

by John Kelman
November 13, 2007

Joe Locke has always struck that rare balance between reverence for things past and a forward-thinking mindset. Live in Seattle (Origin, 2006) brought a firm, modernistic edge to a set of original material by the vibraphonist and keyboardist/co-leader Geoffrey Keezer. Rev-elation (Sharp Nine, 2005), teaming Locke with the Milt Jackson Tribute Band, was steeped in the tradition, although Locke never lost sight of his personal extension of that tradition.

Sticks and Strings, featuring up-and-coming guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg alongside veteran bassist ...

The Joe Locke Quartet: Sticks and Strings

by Dr. Jeff Monroe
October 27, 2007

The vibraphone has never been an easy sell for a leading musician. Compared to piano or brass--whose attention is all but assured, it has usually remained somewhat overshadowed. Joe Locke, one of the premier vibraphonists on the scene today, has changed course on Sticks and Strings, recorded for the Palermo, Italy label, Jazz Eyes. Locke is very popular in Italy; performing there often it appears he's found a second home. Having forged his own identity in the post bop/Bobby Hutcherson, ...

Joe Locke / Christos Rafalides Vibes / Mallet Duo: Van Gogh by Numbers

by John Kelman
March 13, 2006

If jazz is a marginalized genre and the vibraphone is a marginalized instrument within that genre, then Van Gogh by Numbers--an album of vibes and marimba duets--is clearly a first. But the idea of an intimate series of mallet duets will come as no surprise to listeners familiar with Joe Locke, who's been active for over two decades but has garnered considerably more attention in recent years. Whether with his own band, Four Walls of Freedom; his collaborative New Sound ...

Joe Locke: Are You Ready for Him?

by Jason West
November 17, 2005

Are you ready for Joe Locke? Are you ready for Joe Locke? Well you best get ready, Seattle, because he's getting ready for you. That's the word out of NYC where the cutting edge, critically-acclaimed vibraphonist has been rehearsing a new band with new music arranged especially for November 19, Locke's date with the Ballard Jazz Festival. A world premiere of sorts. Raise your hand if you dig, Seattle. And for those of you not yet hip to the Lockeness ...