“Locke is on top form, hovering sineously on a ballad one moment, reeling off lines with four mallet precision the next.” - JazzWise
More about this recording
This music is meant to provide respite for folks who work hard every day and need an opportunity to slow down and be reacquainted with that certain “something” which eludes most of us in the midst of the whirlwind which is modern life. I can’t put a name to what that “something” is, but if this music hits its mark, perhaps you will know what to call it.
There is no highbrow concept here, just some songs pulled from a deep well, which will hopefully serve to feed the soul. Most of them (even the ballads) are imbued with the blues, in form or sentiment.
Working on this recording brought me back to my earliest days of music-making in Rochester, NY at the F&S Lounge, Jenks n’ Jones, and The Peoples’ Club, where the music was part of the social fabric, and the audience and musicians were definitely involved in a two-way conversation. It taught me that jazz is, and should always be, People Music.
Joe Locke / New York City – January, 2013