All Jazzbo Notes members are invited to enter the “Joe LoCascio - Ghosts” Giveaway Contest.
Ghosts is Joe LoCascio’s first solo piano outing in 20 years. LoCascio has played or recorded with Chet Baker, Randy Brecker, Freddie Hubbard, Marvin Stamm, Ernie Watts, Dave Liebman and Hank Crawford, among many others luminaries.
Joe LoCascio covers wide stylistic ground on Ghosts, from ballads to barrelhouse, but what remains constant is his lyricism and attention to melody.
Here’s what other critics have to say about Joe LoCascio…
When you hear a composition for the first time, the artists have to win you over twice, with their writing and their playing. This can be a challenge, though not apparently for Joe LoCascio….LoCascio’s compositions allow room for ideas to flow along a linear path, like a stream through stones that mark his changes. — Robert Doerschuk, DownBeat Magazine
Joe LoCascio’s compositions are versatile, with melodies that sparkle and flow, building a Bolero-like intensity. He has an affinity for fashioning the harmonically complex into the simply beautiful. LoCascio has dazzled since his 1986 debut; what’s impressive is the way his talent continues to grow. — Jeff McCord, Texas Monthly
LoCascio’s playing…like his writing…is heady, clean and crisply swinging, and while he describes his writing and playing as “linear,” he’s downplaying his strongest quality: texture….gorgeous ballads. — Harvy Siders, JazzTimes Magazine
LoCascio’s strong sense of melody is elegantly realized…one of the finest artists on the contemporary jazz scene. — Jazziz Magazine
Ghosts was issued on the Blue Bamboo Music label, founded by guitarist Chris Cortez in 1986, primarily as a vehicle for his own work as a jazz musician and composer. For a period of time, Blue Bamboo was located in Slidell, LA, before hurricane Katrina forced their relocation to Houston, Texas. After about a year of downtime, the label re-emerged in 2007. Happily, their artist roster is expanding, adding some exciting new artists to the label.
To hear some samples of Joe LoCascio’s solo piano release Ghosts, click here.
Rules:
1. The “Joe LoCascio - Ghosts” Giveaway Contest is only open to JazzboNotes.com members residing in the Continental United States. It’s easy to sign up if you haven’t already. Just click on the “Join Us!” button in the right hand column and follow the directions.
2. Participate in the forum, either by answering a question or by asking one. Nonsense entries like “This is an entry” will be disqualified. JazzboNotes.com will be the final judge of what qualifies as a valid forum entry.
3. Send an email naming your favorite pianist to contest@JazzboNotes.com. In the subject line, put “Joe LoCascio - Ghosts Giveaway.”
4. The winner of the contest will be picked at random from the forum entries and they will be announced in a posting on the front page of this site. The winner will have one week to email JazzboNotes.com at contest@JazzboNotes.com with the mailing address their prize should be sent to. Otherwise, they will forfeit the prize and another prize winner will be selected by the same process.
5. At least 100 people must enter the contest or no one will be awarded the prize. If you’ve entered the contest, take a look at the forum page. If there aren’t at least 100 posts after the date the contest is announced, that means that not enough people have yet entered the contest for the prize to be awarded. Feel free to tell other people who might be interested about the contest.
Good Luck!