Joe Diorio's 80th Birthday Celebration Zinc Bar NYC

[Eric Rowland]

Celebrate Acclaimed Guitarist Joe Diorio’s 80th Birthday

Wednesday, August 10
9:00PM-Midnight

Jazz guitarist Joe Diorio turns 80 on August 6. To celebrate it, some of the world’s finest jazz guitarists will join forces to fete the master plectrist in a special concert at the Zinc Bar. With over 60 years experience as a performer and recording artist, Diorio has worked with such jazz luminaries as Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Stan Getz, Horace Silver and Freddie Hubbard. He is featured on over 20 albums as both a leader and sideman with musicians such as Steve Bagby, Harvie Swartz, Sonny Stitt, Eddie Harris, Benny Green, Horace Silver, Anita O’Day, and Gijs Hendriks. He has toured and performed in jazz festivals throughout the U.S., Holland, Belgium, Italy and Argentina among others.

Special appearances by.....Gene Bertoncini, David Becker, Mark Egan, Vic Juris, Chris Morrison, Mark Whitfield, Jack Wilkins, AND surprise guests.....

no word on whether Joe will attend....

[tribalfusion]

Joe deserves a lot more acclaim than he generally gets. One of the people who for me modernized jazz guitar.

[MarkRhodes]

Glad he's around to enjoy such a well-deserved event in his honor.

[MarkRhodes]

Here's Joe playing a blues in F.

[neatomic]

yes. happy 80th!! (wow) to mr. diorio..

insane chops player, who dedicated a great deal of his career to teaching...bravo maestro

remember studying his mesmerising sweep picking vhs tape!! a lifetime ago...haha

cheers

[Flat]

Best wishes and Happy Birthday to one of my old teachers from GIT! One of the true masters!

Thanks for everything, Joe!

This is one of my favorite jazz guitar albums of all time. So incredibly sweet and lyrical!

[marcwhy]

Anyone know how he's doing these days??

I used to take lessons from him at his apartment in So Cal, a couple years before his stroke (and then he moved East). He was the best guy, and a great teacher! I hope he's good.



Marc

[Eric Rowland]

[jbernstein91]

Joe Diorio with Jaco, Ira Sullivan, etc., in 1973 -- his solo beginning around 3:48, followed by Jaco's. Very happening:

[TH]

[PaulHintz]

I have a wonderful memory of him playing in the Ira Sullivan-Red Rodney Quintet at the long-gone Jazz Gallery in Milwaukee, when I was a student in the late 1970s. Wonderful outside/inside/all-sides playing. I was in the midst of transitioning from Woody Guthrie to bebop-and-beyond at that time. I still am, come to think of it. But his playing---wonderful. His solo recordings are a real ear/mind expander, too. All the best wishes to him from a fan!

[neatomic]

. I was in the midst of transitioning from Woody Guthrie to bebop-and-beyond at that time. I still am, come to think of it. But his playing---wonderful. His solo recordings are a real ear/mind expander, too. All the best wishes to him from a fan!

woody would be "takin' the A train" to the zinc bar!!





cheers

[Flat]

I wish the Zinc Bar or producer could post a live feed to the Internet the way they do at 55 Bar sometimes!

I'm sure there are a lot of players and friends of Joe in SoCal and all over who would love to tune in. Or maybe post a video after the show? Just pipe dreamin--but the next best thing would be a post from any cat lucky enough to attend!


I told this story on some forum before, probably this one, but I'll tell it again for Joe's birthday.

I went to GIT in 1983, and at some early point Howard Roberts was talking to a small class of us students, about what to expect in the coming year, and telling us about some of the great players and teachers we would eventually meet, what they'd done, who they played with, and so on. Scott Henderson. Keith Wyatt. Frank Gamble. Ron Eschete. One off seminars from Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny...

But then Howard talked about Joe Diorio -- and his voice dropped to a reverential tone.

Now, this is a paraphrase from decades ago, so its not verbatim accurate, but the spirit went like this:

[HR] "...when it comes to jazz, and great jazz guitar players, and true masters of harmony and tone and everything beautiful, I think...well, I think Joe Diorio is every bit as good as Joe Pass.

You never heard a louder silence.

Maybe 50 young guitar students all thinking to themselves at the exact same moment the exact same thought: "Okay. I get it. This guy Joe D is good. Really really good. We kinda already know that. But as good as Joe Pass? Joe Pass?"

I swear it was like Howard heard us thinking. He looked down at the floor for a moment pensively, paused a beat and said, "Yes. Yes, I think so."

I soon came to agree.

Happy Birthday, Joe!

[wolflen]

joes Intervallic Designs book..gave me great insights to many aspects of harmony and playing lines outside of functional harmony...I still visit some of those exercises and they become new again...

and yes..Joe can keep up with the best of em...and in some cases..PASS them..

[Toddep]

I wish I could go.... Happy Birthday Joe!

[Encinitastubes]

I always think of that clip of Wes saying that Joe was one of the players that he admired.

[marcwhy]

So how was this gig?? Did anyone here make it? David (TruthHertz)?

[neatomic]

a good listen in the meantime...joe's tribute to wes..killer stuff

cheers

[rob taft]

I figured I bump this to the top but with all the NY players here, I figured someone must have heard how concert went.

[kris]

I have few books of Joe...great stuff!

[AlsoRan]

I scoured the internet for information on how things went. I found nothing.

I did come across a nice newsletter/magazine on the New York Jazz scene, but in its September issue, it had no mention of the Joe Diorio gala.

Once again, a reality check of the importance of Jazz Guitar in the grand scheme of things.

Anyway, here is a link to the magazine's website. It is published every month and gives great info on upcoming Jazz performances in New York City.

The New York City Jazz Record

and here is a sample issue:

http://www.nycjazzrecord.com/issues/tnycjr201610.pdf

[rob taft]

AlsoRan, Thanks for the links. I also searched the web prior to posting hoping to hear how it went and like you was surprised to find nothing as well. I figured with all the NY musicians who frequent this site, someone must have heard something.