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Joe Locke (born March 18, 1959) raised in Rochester, New York. A self-taught improviser, he benefited from his early studies in classical percussion and composition at the Eastman School of Music with John Beck, Gordon Stout, Ted Moore and David Mancini.
In 1998 Locke recorded a duet record with Frank Kimbrough, Saturn's Child. The follow-up to this album, The Willow, found Locke and Kimbrough expanding the sonic palette by adding Tim Ries on woodwinds and Jeff Ballard on hand percussion. Collaborations with pianists such as Kenny Barron and David Hazeltine equally resulted in album releases.
In 2000, Locke recorded his first album with Sirocco Records and continued to record for his groups such as Storytelling and Walls of Freedom, and as a member of Storms/Nocturnes, with Tim Garland and Geoffrey Keezer.
In 2004/2005 Locke teamed up again with pianist Keezer for two recordings: Summer Knows and Summertime. Completing the New Sound Quartet are bassist Bob Hurst and Billy Kilson on drums. This collaboration led to the creation of the Geoffrey Keezer Group, featuring Terreon Gully and Mike Pope and the 2005 Earshot Golden Ear Award-winning concert and subsequent album Live in Seattle.
Locke has also been working intensively with fellow vibes and marimba artist Christos Rafalides, leading to the Locke/Rafalides Duo and Education Project in 2005, including the recording Van Gogh by Numbers.
Other recordings have found him guesting with Russell Malone, Eddie Higgins, Vic Juris, The New York Quartet (featuring Billy Childs, Idris Muhammed and Cameron Brown), Tim Garland's Storms/Nocturnes chamber trio and vocalist Dianne Reeves. While maintaining a busy touring schedule, Locke also finds time to work with student ensembles, teach at numerous educational institutions in the US and Europe and compose/arrange for the Airmen of Note (two performances in 2011 and 2012), the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Band Classic of the New York Youth Symphony.
In 2012/2013 Motéma Music released his first symphonic CD, a live recording with Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra, Wish Upon A Star (2012). His third release on the Motéma label, Lay Down My Heart – Blues & Ballads Vol 1, reached the No. 1 position of the Jazz Week album charts in July 2013.
Joe Locke was appointed International Vibraphone Consultant by the Royal Academy of Music, London in 2008 – a position which he holds on a visiting basis – and was elected Honorary Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon ARAM) by the Governing Body in 2014.
Locke has recorded over 30 CDs as a band leader. As producer and as a sideman, he appears on more than 65 recordings.
He has been voted No.1 vibist in DownBeat Magazine's Critic's Poll (TDWR) and Brazil's International Jazz Poll.
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