Greetings from Joe LoCascio!


It has been a while since I’ve sent a newsletter. Lot’s of stuff happening, none of it earth-shaking, but much of it fun.

As of this writing, I await the release of my first solo piano record in 10 years. Ghosts will be released in August ’08 on the Blue Bamboo label. Blue Bamboo Music is the brainchild of guitarist Christopher Cortez. There is much to be said about a record company run by a fine musician. Recording for Chris was an absolute pleasure. He gave me free reign over the production and encouraged me to do all original music. Sort of a musician’s fantasy come true! Besides his own excellent recordings, Chris is planning releases by other Houston artists such as Woody Witt, Mike Wheeler, Asle Roe, Andrew Lienhard and Tianna Hall. This October I will be involved in a project under Chris’s direction which will feature the great bassist Harvie S. Also featured will be Woody Witt, drummer Joel Fulghum and percussionist James Metcalf. Please visit his website at www.bluebamboomusic.com.

I would also like to mention Tab Bartling of Heart Music (www.heartmusic.com), an Austin-based record label. I have been involved in numerous projects with Tab since 1990, our most recent being my trio project In the City of Lost Things. It is due to Tab’s unrelenting perseverance that this recording was given major recognition by radio and press. I am quite proud to note that it received a 4-star review in Downbeat magazine and was also cited as one of the best jazz releases of 2007 by the same.

My most recent project is an album of Alec Wilder compositions performed in a duo context with my long-time associate Woody Witt, who plays soprano saxophone exclusively on the recording. In a sense, this is one album that has taken 12 years to release. I have been performing Wilder’s music for over 25 years and actually recorded an album of his music in 1996 with bassist John Adams and drummer Ed Soph. I didn’t release that album, but did include two of the tracks from that session on our 1996 release A Charmed Life. As far as the duo recording goes, I am ecstatic. Woody and I managed to capture some wonderful music. The album is called Season’s Ago and will likely have a Winter 2008 release date.

Coming soon is Woody Witt’s release for Apria Records, Willows, a live recording featuring bassist Lynn Seaton, saxophonist Tim Armacost and drummer Billy Hart. Performing and recording with this group was sheer pleasure and I look forward to doing it again. Featured on the album are 4 Witt originals and 2 LoCascio originals.

This summer I will be doing a fair share of performances at my home-away-from-home Cezanne. I will present an evening of my original music and will also perform some of it on accordion, which I started playing about 4 months ago. I’ve always loved the instrument – I guess it is inevitable that my Italian roots would emerge. One Sunday I brought it over to my mom. She was so taken by it that she started teach me the “old Italian songs.” She has a lovely singing voice. She actually sang at the Italian theaters so prominent in Brooklyn back in the day, when just a child of six years! This as now become sort of a Sunday ritual for us, though I have added about 1⁄2 dozen Hank Williams tunes, which she also sings very well!

That’s pretty much what’s been going on with me. I hope to see you at my performances this summer. Here is a list of them:
Q
Returns

Warren Sneed: Saxophones
Joe LoCascio: Piano
Bill Miller: Bass
Tim Solook: Drums

Come to CEZANNE on Saturday, August 9
Cover is $10
9:00 pm

October 16-18
BLUE BAMBOO MUSIC PRESENTS:
Harvie S – Bass
Christopher Cortez – Guitar
Woody Witt – Saxophones
Joe LoCascio – Piano
Joel Fulghum – Drums
James Metcalf –Percussion

Thursday, October 16, 7:30 p.m. at Houston Community College, Town and Country Campus – Live Recording for Blue Bamboo Music.
General Admission: $10 Students/Seniors: $5

October 16 & 17, at CEZANNE
4100 Montrose (above the Black Lab)
$10 Cover


http://www.joelocascio.com