Jazz Articles about Joe Locke

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Joe Locke: Force of Four

by John Kelman
September 24, 2008

Joe Locke couldn't have picked a better name for Force of Four. While not as overtly plugged in as the potent, near fusion-esque Live in Seattle (Origin, 2006) with his Joe Locke/Geoffrey Keezer Group, it's an equally electrifying date that revisits the same format--vibes, piano, bass and drums--but with an all-new line-up. It's taken time for critics and fans to catch up, but with Down Beat's Talent Deserving Wider Recognition nod, the Jazz Journalists Association's Mallet Player of ...

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Joe Locke: Force of Four

by Dan McClenaghan
September 12, 2008

Certain sounds are so easy to love: the blurry whine of a muted trumpet, the beefy growl of a robust tenor saxophone, the rich, frictional cry of the cello, and the buoyant, sustained ring of a mallet hitting a key on a vibraphone.Vibraphonist Joe Locke's profile seems to have risen on a sharp angle since Live in Seattle (Origin Records, 2006), a CD that found its way onto several critic's top ten of the year lists. Since then ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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 ...

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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, ...