http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-joe-morello-20110314,0,3123963.story
Joe Morello dies at 82; jazz drummer for Dave Brubeck Quartet
'Drummers worldwide remember Joe as one of the greatest drummers we have known,' Brubeck says. '… His drum solo on "Take Five" is still being heard around the world.'
By Keith Thursby, Los Angeles Times
March 14, 2011
Joe Morello, seen in 1966, was "a drummer’s drummer. You could talk to almost any drummer and he’d probably be on their list of the drummers they admire most,” says jazz critic Don Heckman. (Associated Press / March 12, 2011)
Joe Morello, the jazz drummer best known for his work with the influential Dave Brubeck Quartet on such classic recordings as "Take Five," has died. He was 82.
Morello died Saturday at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, N.J., said his wife, Jean. No cause was given.
The quartet, with Brubeck on piano, Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, Eugene Wright on bass and Morello on drums, became successful beginning in the late 1950s exploring unusual time signatures. The album "Time Out," which included "Take Five" with Morello's memorable solo and "Blue Rondo á la Turk," became one of the most popular jazz albums ever.
"Drummers worldwide remember Joe as one of the greatest drummers we have known. He was a good friend," Brubeck said in a statement Sunday. "Many people consider the rhythm section of Eugene Wright and Joe Morello in my quartet as being one of the most consistent, swinging rhythm sections in jazz.... His drum solo on 'Take Five' is still being heard around the world."
Morello told Canada's Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper in 2007: "Someone said that drum solo changed the way people drummed because it was more of an abstract solo. We'd use that to close the concert and always get a standing ovation."
Morello was born July 17, 1928, in Springfield, Mass. His vision impaired since birth, he studied the violin before switching to drums in high school. He moved to New York in the early 1950s and worked briefly with Stan Kenton, among others, before becoming a member of pianist Marian McPartland's trio.
Morello joined Brubeck's quartet in the mid-1950s, turning down offers from the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey bands.
"Joe was a drummer's drummer. You could talk to almost any drummer and he'd probably be on their list of the drummers they admire most," jazz critic Don Heckman said Sunday. "He played with such sensitivity and accuracy, and he was always a support for what was happening while keeping the rhythm alive."
Heckman called Morello's "Take Five" solo "pretty extraordinary" for its sense of momentum and emotional intensity. Desmond wrote "Take Five" in a then-unusual 5/4 rhythmic meter.
Ed Shaughnessy, a longtime friend who played drums in the "Tonight Show" band for 29 years, told The Times on Sunday that Morello "developed a style of his own and never played in anything but good taste. He was an ardent practicer. And he got great results."
After Brubeck disbanded the group in 1967, Morello continued to play but primarily was a teacher. His students over the years included Max Weinberg, who gained fame playing with Bruce Springsteen and leading talk-show host Conan O'Brien's band.
Weinberg, in an interview with The Times on Sunday, said he started studying with Morello in the late 1970s. "I sought Joe out. He was a drum guru," Weinberg said. "He took me from a very talented amateur to a pro who could field any kind of musical question asked of me."
Morello appeared on more than 120 recordings, according to a biography on his website.
"For us, the guys in the original classic quartet were like our uncles," one of Brubeck's sons, composer and musician Chris Brubeck, told The Times on Sunday. "Joe was able to master all the odd-time signatures that Dave wanted to explore. Just an amazing player."
Morello's wife was his only immediate survivor.
http://www.joemorello.net/bio.shtml
It is with great sadness that we report Joe's passing on March 12, 2011.
His impact on the world of music and on all those whose lives he touched will live forever.
July 17, 1928—March 12, 2011
Joe was born on July 17, 1928, in Springfield, Mass. Having impaired vision since birth, he devoted himself to indoor activities. At the age of six, his family’s encouragement led him to study violin. Three years later, he was featured with the Boston Symphony Orchestra as soloist in the Mendelsohn Violin Concerto. At the age of twelve, he made a second solo appearance with the orchestra. But upon meeting and hearing his idol, the great Jascha Heifetz, Joe felt he could never achieve “that sound”. So, at the age of fifteen, Joe changed the course of his musical endeavors and began to study drums.
Joe’s first drum teacher, Joe Sefcik, was a pit drummer for all the shows in the Springfield area. He was an excellent teacher and gave Joe much encouragement. Joe began sitting in with any group that would allow it. When he was not sitting in, he and his friends, including Teddy Cohen, Chuck Andrus, Hal Sera, Phil Woods and Sal Salvador, would get together and jam in any place they could find. Joe would play any job he was called for. As a result, his musical experiences ranged from rudimental military playing to weddings and social occasions. Eventually, Mr. Sefcik decided it was time for Joe to move on. He recommended a teacher in Boston, the great George Lawrence Stone.
Mr. Stone did many things for Joe. He gave Joe most of the tools for developing technique. He taught Joe to read. But most important of all, he made Joe realize his future was in jazz, not “legitimate” percussion, as Joe had hoped. Through his studies with Mr. Stone, Joe became known as the best drummer in Springfield, and rudimental champion of New England.
Joe’s playing activity increased, and he soon found himself on the road with several groups. First, there was Hank Garland and the Grand Old Opry, and then Whitey Bernard. After much consideration, Joe left Whitey Bernard to go to New York City.
A difficult year followed, but with Joe’s determination and the help of friends like Sal Salvador, Joe began to be noticed. Soon he found himself playing with an impressive cast of musicians that included Gil Melle, Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, Jimmy Raney, Stan Kenton and Marian McPartland. After leaving Marian McPartland’s trio, he turned down offers from the Benny Goodman band and the Tommy Dorsey band. The offer he chose to accept was a two-month temporary tour with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, which ended up lasting twelve-and-a half years. It was during the period that Joe’s technique received its finishing touches from Billy Gladstone of Radio City Music Hall.
From 1968, when the Dave Brubeck Quartet disbanded, Joe spread his talents over a variety of areas. He maintained a very active private teaching practice. Through his association with DW Drums, Joe made great educational contributions to drumming, as well as the entire field of jazz, by way of his clinics, lectures and guest solo appearances. In his later years, Joe frequently performed with his own group in the New York metropolitan area.
Joe appeared on over 120 albums and CDs, of which 60 were with the Dave Brubeck Quartet. He won the Downbeat magazine award for best drummer for five years in a row, the Playboy award seven years in a row, and is the only drummer to win every music poll for five years in a row, including Japan, England, Europe, Australia and South America. He is mentioned in Who’s Who in the East, twelfth edition, and the Blue Book, which is a listing of persons in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States who have achieved distinction in the arts, sciences, business or the professions. Revered by fans and musicians alike, Joe was considered to be one of the finest, and probably one of the most celebrated, drummers in the history of jazz.
Joe's impact on the world of music, and on all the lives of those he touched will live forever.
http://dougpayne.blogspot.com/2011/03/joe-morello-rip.html
Joe Morello – R.I.P. by Doug PayneDrummer Joe Morello, one of jazz’s under-sung heroes, has died. Best known as the rhythmic timekeeper of multiple times in Dave Brubeck’s famed quartet, when the quartet made some of its best-known recordings, Morello had lately become an in-demand clinician, teacher and bandleader whose former students numbered Danny Gottlieb, Max Weinberg, Gary Feldman and Jerry Granelli.
Joe Morello, born July 17, 1928, in Springfield, Massachusetts, died on March 12, 2011, at his home in New Jersey. He was 82 years old.
Morello suffered from impaired vision from birth, and devoted himself to indoor activities. At six years old he began studying the violin, going on to feature three years later as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, and again three years later.
At the of age 15 Morello met the violinist Jascha Heifetz and decided that he would never be able to equal Heifetz's "sound," so switched to drumming, first studying with a show drummer named Joe Sefcik and then George Lawrence Stone, author of the noted drum textbook Stick Control for the Snare Drummer.
Stone was so impressed with Morello's ideas that he incorporated them into his next book, Accents & Rebounds, which is dedicated to Morello. Later, Morello studied with Radio City Music Hall percussionist Billy Gladstone.
After moving to New York City, Morello worked with numerous notable jazz musicians including Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, Stan Kenton, Phil Woods, Sal Salvador, Marian McPartland, Jay McShann, Art Pepper, Howard McGhee, and others.
After a period playing in McPartland's trio, Morello declined invitations to join both Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey's band, favoring a temporary two-month tour with the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1955.
However, Morello remained to play with Brubeck for well over a decade – helping the Brubeck quartet score its biggest hits, including the well-known “Take Five” from the 1959 album Time Out - only departing in 1968.
The following Diana Krall performances have just been announced: 
Pre-Sale tickets for both shows will be available Wednesday, March 30 at 12:00 PM local time: http://tixx1.artistarena.com/dianakrall 
(Charles Owens leads the students in a Jazz March.) 
DVD of the Week 
This Wednesday, March 30th, Goddess Wednesdays celebrates the beautiful DJ Hana's Birthday!!! Live Dinner Show featuring performances by Charlie Roc and, of course, DJ Hana! Kitchen 305 16701 Collins Ave. Sunny Isles, FL Ph: (305) 749-2110 Dinner Party 8pm *Dinner Special* All-U-Can-Eat Lobster for $35 (Includes soup or salad and 2 sides) Ladies Eat FREE 10-11:30pm with reservations Ladies drink FREE 9-11pm
Below is a special opportunity that we wanted to give you a heads up about. Just got the word about this project today, and TAXI Music needs the music by 09:00 PDT AM on Wednesday March 30, 2011. You can find this listing under the Pop (Film & TV) genre in the Submit Music section of your TAXImusic.com hosting site. 
Mika Yoshida with Steve Gadd & Richard Stoltzman
This Friday, March 25, at 8:30pm, let's celebrate Terence Love - He's the Man! Owner of Steamers and incredible patron of live music and jazz here in California. Stop by and celebrate with us.
Wednesday, Mar 23, 8pm-midnight
Jazz-inflected pop sensibilities; sensual, soulful songs: Meet Holly, the single-moniker of singer/songwriter Holly Zell Jurgensen, a Southern California-based artist whose melodic finesse and vocal intimacy are in full bloom on her full-length debut, "Butter & Chocolate." Born in San Clemente, California, Holly graduated from UCLA with a master's degree in music. She has since become a charter member of the Southern California songwriting community - a loose-knit group of friends and collaborators. Listeners might know her from her inclusion in "Women on the Move" (Red Coyote Records), a collection praised as possessing "...a fluidity that is rarely seen in compilation records."
After an acclaimed performance @ Charlie O's last January, followed by sold-out gigs @ Vibrato, one of our favorite vocalists, LA-based Icelandic jazz princess Anna Mjoll will be back @ Charlie O's this next Friday, March 25, at 8pm.
CD of the Week
(click on the image to enlarge it)
Tatiana Fontes:
Miss Nine:Not only has she been able to outshine and make her presence known in a male dominated industry, but she has done so all within five years of picking up a record. With her eclectic taste in music, ranging from energetic grooves with plenty of vocals to a deeper, progressive sound, Miss Nine is sure to turn heads and move feet any where she performs.
Ale Rauen:Her career started in 2005, and now Ale Rauen has become one of Brasil's most significant female names when we talk about electronic music.
But, if you are in Florida can't wait till Thursday, don't miss DJ Hana tonight @ Sushi House!
Quincy Jones Productions presents: The Alfredo Rodriguez Trio "West Coast Tour" w/Ricardo Rodriguez & Henry Cole
March 17, 8pm
Reserve Early, tickets going fast !
"Dear Arnaldo:
Join us for a special concert paying tribute to the great James Moody with the Mike Longo Trio featuring Paul West (bass) & Ray Mosca (drums) on Tuesday, March 22 at "Jazz Tuesdays" in the Gillespie Auditorium at the New York Baha'i Center at 53 East 11th Street (between University Place & Broadway). There will be two shows at 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. Reservations and Information: 212-222-5159. James Moody was Mike's closest personal friend, as well as a musical mentor. Come and hear stories about their shared experiences on the road over the years, including time spent together on Dizzy's band.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-joe-morello-20110314,0,3123963.story
Joe Morello, seen in 1966, was "a drummer’s drummer. You could talk to almost any drummer and he’d probably be on their list of the drummers they admire most,” says jazz critic Don Heckman. (Associated Press / March 12, 2011)
http://www.joemorello.net/bio.shtml
http://dougpayne.blogspot.com/2011/03/joe-morello-rip.html
(born Paulo Pereira D'Aquino on May 7, 1941, in São Paulo, SP, Brazil;
For a bio in Portuguese, please check:
Wednesday, April 13th, 2001, 7pm-10pm
Karine Hannah prepared the following setlist:
(Jennifer Jade Ledesna)
Michelle H. Zangara leads "The Promise of Spring Trio" on March 16th, with Rick Germanson & Paul Gill, @ Tagine Dining Gallery. 8:30p to 11:30pm.
