|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Wednesday, 22 May 2013 |
|
Joe Locke’s ‘Force of Four’ at the Kitano, NYC, October 16-17 |
|
|
|
Written by Ronaldo Oregano
|
|
Monday, 12 October 2009 |
|
"... without question, but Force of Four is a sheer tour de force" - Adam Greenberg, All About Music  Force of Four: Joe Locke, Robert Rodriguez, Ricardo Rodriguez, Johnathan Blake
Joe Locke, who has released more than 25 recordings as a band leader and appeared on about 100 albums as a guest artist, will bring his celebrated quartet ‘Force of Four’ to perform at the Kitano Hotel, NYC, on Friday, October 16 and Saturday, October 17th with sets at 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM each night. This is a rare chance to hear this group of stellar musicians in a beautiful and intimate space. ‘Force of Four’ features the amazing talents of Joe Locke on vibraphone, Robert Rodriguez on piano, Johnathan Blake on drums and Ricardo Rodriguez on bass.
 Joe Locke
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). He has been voted the #1 vibist in DownBeat Magazine's Critic's Poll (TDWR) and Brazil's International Jazz Poll, was honored with the "Mallet Player of the Year" Award by the Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) in 2006, and has received two Golden Ear "Concert of the Year" Awards — in 2005 with the Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group for their concert at the Ballard Jazz Festival, released on CD as "Live in Seattle" on the Origin Label, and 2007 for his performance at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival.
The past years have been increasingly busy for Locke. Besides his work with The Joe Locke / Geoffrey Keezer Group, The Joe Locke Quartet and his Duo project with fellow vibes and marimba artist Christos Rafalides, he most recently formed a brand new musical collaboration, "Joe Locke - Force of Four". The group — featuring Robert Rodriguez, Johnathan Blake and Ricardo Rodriguez — released their first album in 2008, followed by international concert engagements.
Another one of Locke's more recent recording "Rev.elation" with Milt Jackson's last Band remained on top of the Jazz Week album charts for an unprecedented 8 week run in 2005.
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."
The Kitano is located at 68 Park Ave. @ 38th Street NYC. For reservations call 212 885 7119 or visit www.kitano.com
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
New York 
Home | New and Notable | Photo Galleries | CD/DVD/Book Reviews | Interviews | SF Bay Area | Chicago | Los Angeles | New York | Twin Cities, MN | Festivals | News | Follow Jazz Police on Twitter | Like the Jazz Police on Facebook | 
