| this is an old page of: www.europejazz.net |
Europe Jazz Network
MUSICIANS
JOEY BARON
| Joey Baron to Gino Robair, Pulse, August 1994
"If I had to describe my sound, I'd call it loose and slow, the way
Southerners are slow. And soulful, hopefully. What stirs me is some sort
of soulful move - hearing a singer sing a phrase that's just - pow! --
and trying to get that kind of emotion out of the drums."
"I think a trade-mark of my style involves my getting a lot from a
minimal arsenal of equipment. I just have hi-hats, a ride, a crash, a
sizzle and a four piece kit… Number one, what I want to do is play music
that is fun, that invites people in. If a person walked off the street
into a performance of mine, he or she wouldn't need to understand the
history of music to enjoy it. That's my job." |
|
Drummer Joey Baron was born into a Jewish working class family
in Richmond, Virginia in 1955. He his largely self-taught by means of
watching others play and listening to recordings, radio and television.
His early influences ran the gamut from Ed Sullivan show guests, to "The
Wild Wild West" television show theme to records by Art Blakey, Ray
Charles, Booker T. and the M.G.'s, James Brown, the
Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. Besides being a member of the Bill Frisell Band
for ten years until 1995, he has performed and recorded with an impressive
list of musicians - including Carmen McRae, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett, Hampton
Hawes, Chet Baker, Laurie Anderson, Art Pepper, Stan Getz, Jay McShann,
David Bowie, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Big Joe Turner, Philip Glass,
John Abercrombie, Mel Lewis, Pat Martino, Harry Sweets Edison, David
Sanborn, Al Jarreau, Jim Hall, Randy Brecker, Marian McPartland, John
Scofield, and the Lounge Lizards. He also co-lead the group "Miniature"
(with Tim Berne and Hank Roberts) and was a member of "Naked City" (with
John Zorn, Bill Frisell, Fred Frith and Wayne Horvitz). He currently works
in John Zorn's group, "Masada" with Dave Douglas (trumpet) and Greg Cohen
(bass), and leads his own trio "Barondown", which features Ellery Eskelin
(saxophone) and Steve Swell (trombone). "Barondown" has recorded three
albums - Crackshot (Avant), Raised Pleasure Dot (New World) and
Tongue in Groove (JMT).
Joey's current release as a leader is Down Home, part of the
Songline/Tone Field series on Intuition. The project features all
southern R&B flavored original tunes by Joey Baron played by an all star
band of Ron Carter, Arthur Blythe and Bill Frisell. "The most intriguing
ensemble of the season," (New Yorker) "is not only all star, but
fascinatingly so."(Village Voice.) updated December 1997 
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
Biography courtesy of Songlines/Tonefield Productions, Berkeley CA (USA). |