Pro-Mark Drumsticks

Biography

Joe Locke is regarded by many to be the most gifted vibraphonist of his generation. In addition to his strengths as an instrumentalist, the recent recordings and live performances by The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, the Rev.elation - The Music of Milt Jackson and his group "4 Walls of Freedom", offer evidence of his ever-growing stature as a band leader, composer and conceptualist.

Joe Locke & Geoffrey Keezer live at Tokyo Jazz Festival 2005

"Summertime" can be found on Joe Locke's CD "Summertime".

Buy this CD and more.

The critical community continually cites Joe Locke for his artistic work. "There seems little doubt that Locke, with his ability to play cool and funky, heady and relaxed, is set to become the pre-eminent vibraphonist in jazz." (The Times, London)

Locke has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Pepper Adams, Grover Washington Jr., Rod Stewart, The Beastie Boys, Hiram Bullock, Geoffrey Keezer, Randy Brecker, and many others.

While maintaining a busy touring schedule, Locke also found time to work with students. A concert in Rochester, NY with the School of the Arts jazz ensemble (through The Commission Project) proved to be a memorable and rewarding experience. "I worked with the students for several weeks leading up to the concert, and real friendships were forged in that time. The name of the event was Pass it On! - the implication of the title being that I was passing on my knowledge and experience to a new generation of musicians. But it was such a mutual exchange... I learned as much from them as they did from me. The experience put me back in touch with one of the reasons I fell in love with music in the first place, namely, the sense of community that comes from creating something with others."

Born in Palo Alto, California, but raised in Rochester, N.Y., Locke is a self-taught improviser, though he benefited from his early studies in classical percussion and composition at the Eastman School of Music with Gordon Stout, Ted Moore and David Mancini.

Joe Locke has released more than 20 recordings as a band leader, and appeared on almost 100 albums as a guest artist. He endorses vanderPlas Vibraphones and plays the Joe Locke Autograph Mallet (PJL) by Pro-Mark.

[Taken from www.joelocke.com. Read more...]