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About Joe Locke

950

Interview

Joe Locke: On the Ascension, Part 1-2

by John Kelman
June 23, 2004

Part 1 | Part 2 While vibraphonist Joe Locke has been on the scene for over twenty years, it is only in the past half decade or so that his name has begun to reach a broader audience. This is in no small part due to his participation in two seminal groups: British reed player Tim Garland's Storms/Nocturnes Trio, which also features pianist Geoff Keezer and, perhaps most importantly, Locke's current group project, 4 Walls of Freedom, which ...

459

Album Review

Joe Locke & 4 Walls of Freedom: Dear Life

Read "Dear Life" reviewed by John Kelman

by John Kelman
April 6, 2004

Following one of the most critically acclaimed records of your career can be tough; doubly so when one of the key group members has tragically passed on. Vibraphonist Joe Locke, who scored big with 2003's 4 Walls of Freedom , was faced with exactly that challenge. Between the time the album was recorded and released tenor saxophonist Bob Berg met with a tragic accident, leaving the future of the ensemble in serious question. A year later Locke has managed to ...

226

Album Review

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

Read "The Lay of the Land" reviewed by Alexander M. Stern

by Alexander M. Stern
August 25, 2003

In a year that has already produced a number of excellent recordings, Mike Pope's The Lay of the Land may well be one of the best. It's certainly one of the most exciting new albums this reviewer has heard in a long time. Pope, who excels on both acoustic and electric bass, has surrounded himself with major label talent for this indie label release: both Randy and Michael Brecker make appearances, saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on two tracks; guitarist Mike ...

112

Album Review

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

Read "The Lay of the Land" reviewed by Phil DiPietro

by Phil DiPietro
November 15, 2002

Mike Pope plays a mean piano. He's also a noted inventor, designing and building pre-amps for the boutique bass builders Fodera. But really he's a bassist; and not surprisingly, a skilled, er... pontif--icator on both electric and acoustic. He's also a fine mainstream jazz composer and has assembled an all-star cast of musicians here, including heavy hitters the Brecker Brothers, Mike Stern, Joe Locke, Jeff “Tain" Watts and his doubling double John Patitucci to assist in expressing his vision. Bloomdaddy ...

238

Album Review

Joe Locke: Beauty Burning

Read "Beauty Burning" reviewed by David Adler

by David Adler
November 1, 2000

Vibraphonist Joe Locke and pianist Frank Kimbrough have a developed a camaraderie that was well documented on 1999’s Saturn’s Child. Beauty Burning is the next chapter in that fruitful relationship, but this time bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Jeff “Tain" Watts join the party. Guitarist Paul Bollenback also appears on three tracks. Kicking off the session with Chick Corea’s up-tempo “Litha," Locke launches right into his furious lines and weaves them through the tune’s complicated form. His intensity remains at ...

214

Album Review

Joe Locke: Beauty Burning

by David Adler
November 1, 2000

252

Album Review

Joe Locke: Beauty Burning

Read "Beauty Burning" reviewed by David A. Orthmann

by David A. Orthmann
July 1, 2000

On Beauty Burning, the fourteenth release under his own name, it's clear that vibraphonist Joe Locke was interested in making a good recording rather than merely providing a showcase for his own considerable talents. The disc is a thoughtful mixture of intimate, finely tuned ensemble playing and capable solos by the leader, pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Jeff “Tain" Watts, and guitarist Paul Bollenback. Recording shortly after the band (minus Bollenback) played an engagement in New York, their ...