Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Russell Batiste, Jr., Thurs. June 21
Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Russell Batiste, Jr.
Thursday, June 21
Kuumbwa Jazz
“A killer collaboration between three of New Orleans greatest players!” – Offbeat magazine
Joe Krown, longtime former keyboardist for the legendary Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, commands the Hammond B-3 in this groove-oriented trio with fellow New Orleans luminaries Walter “Wolfman” Washington, on guitar and vocals; and drummer Russell Batiste, Jr. It’s grits ‘n’ gravy funk in the tradition of the Meters, Booker T., and Jimmy McGriff, grooving on all shades of the blues. Triple Threat is their most recent recording.
Joe Krown grew up in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. His introduction to music began with childhood piano lessons. Playing keyboards was a casual pursuit, until he ‘discovered’ the Hammond B-3 organ during his college years. Deciding on a career in music, he joined a jazz/rock group and played regional gigs. After moving to Boston, he started his own group to perform around the upper-East Coast states, and then worked with rock ‘n’ roll legend Chuck Berry. By the late ’80s, he was the keyboardist with Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson. In 1990, Joe moved to New Orleans. Two years later, he was working with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown’s band, Gate’s Express, until Brown passed away in 2005. Krown recorded four albums with Gatemouth, and toured internationally with him, opening for Eric Clapton’s 1995 world tour. In 1998, Krown stepped-out as a solo artist with the release of Just the Piano… Just the Blues, a blues and boogie-woogie style solo piano extravaganza. Krown debuted his Joe Krown Organ Combo the next year and released Down & Dirty, followed by Buckle Up, in 2000, and Funk Yard, in 2002.
Five years ago, Krown teamed up with New Orleans veterans Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Russell Batiste, Jr. for Sunday gigs at the Maple Leaf Bar. Guitarist/vocalist Washington, whose career stretches back to the ’50s, has worked with r&b icons Lee Dorsey and Irma Thomas. He’s a versatile performer in the New Orleans tradition, equally at home with all eras of r&b, blues, and funk. And, yes, he can “howl” with the best of the bluesmen. Russell Batiste, Jr., comes from one of New Orleans’ most famous musical families, and is one of the Crescent City’s busiest drummers, having gigged with a range of performers from the Wild Magnolias, to the Funky Meters, Harry Connick, Jr., Mike Gordon of Phish, and Maceo Parker. The trio’s first recording, Live at the Maple Leaf, won Offbeat magazine’s Best Funk/R&B CD award for 2009. They also captured a 2009 Big Easy award for Best Rhythm & Blues Band. The trio was also the backup band for trumpeter Nicholas Payton and pianist/vocalist Allan Toussaint on the 2010 “New Orleans Nights” tour. If you love the down-home sound of classic, Hammond organ-powered, New Orleans funk, you’ll love this band.
CALENDAR INFO
Joe Krown Trio featuring Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Russell Batiste, Jr.
DATE: Thursday, June 21, 2012
PLACE: Kuumbwa Jazz Center
ADDRESS: 320 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
TIME: 7:30 PM
PRICE: $20/Adv $23/Door; ½ Price Night for Students
TICKETS: Logos Books & Records, 1117 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 427-5100 and online at: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org
MORE INFO: http://www.kuumbwajazz.org or 831-427-2227
Media contact:
tammy@moonstruckpromotions.com
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