Joseph Albert Morello (July 17, 1928 – March 12, 2011) was an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques a ...

best known for serving as the drummer for pianist

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

, as part of the Dave Brubeck Quartet, from 1957 to 1972, including during the quartet's "classic lineup" from 1958 to 1968, which also included alto saxophonist

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

and bassist Eugene Wright. Morello's facility for playing unusual

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

s and rhythms enabled that group to record a series of albums that explored unusual time signatures. The most notable of these was the first in the series, the 1959 album ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...

'', which contained the hit songs "

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album ''Time Out'' at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it b ...

" and " Blue Rondo à la Turk". In fact, "Take Five", the album's biggest hit (and the first jazz single to sell more than one million copies) was specifically written by Desmond as a way to showcase Morello's ability to play in time. Besides playing with Brubeck, Morello also served as an accompanist for other musicians, including

Marian McPartland Margaret Marian McPartland OBE ( Turner;Hasson, Claire"Marian McPartland: Jazz Pianist: An Overview of a Career" PhD Thesis. Retrieved 12 August 2008. 20 March 1918 – 20 August 2013), was an English–American jazz pianist, composer, and wri ...

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...

and

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be h ...

, and recorded his own albums as well. He received numerous accolades during his life, including being named the best drummer by '' Down Beat'' magazine five years in a row.

Biography

He was born in

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

, United States to Joseph Morello and Lillian LaPalme. His father was a French emigrant from

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

and his mother hailed from

French Canada French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...

. Morello suffered from partial vision from birth, and devoted himself to indoor activities. At six years old, he began studying the violin. Three years later, he was a featured soloist with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 18 ...

, playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, and again three years later. At the age of 15, Morello met the violinist

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

and decided that he would never be able to equal Heifetz's "sound". Therefore, he switched to drumming, first studying with a show drummer named Joe Sefcik and then

George Lawrence Stone George Lawrence Stone (1886–1967) was an American drummer and author. He wrote the books ''Stick Control for the Snare Drummer'' (1935) and ''Accents and Rebounds for the Snare Drummer'' (1961). Among his students were Joe Morello, Gene Kru ...

, author of the noted drum textbook ''Stick Control for the Snare Drummer''. Stone was so impressed with Morello's ideas that he incorporated them into his next book, ''Accents & Rebounds'', which is dedicated to Morello. Later, Morello studied with

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and theater at 1260 Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplace of the Nation", it is the headquarters for ...

percussionist, Billy Gladstone. After moving to New York City, Morello worked with numerous notable jazz musicians including

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great D ...

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

Phil Woods Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer. Biography Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...

, Sal Salvador,

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist and very occasional tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. Active in West Coast jazz, Pepper came to prominence in Stan Kenton's big band. He was know ...

, and

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger beb ...

. After a period of playing in McPartland's trio, Morello declined invitations to join both

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

and

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's bands, favoring a temporary two-month tour with the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1955. Morello remained with Brubeck for well over a decade, departing in 1967. Morello later became an in-demand clinician, teacher and bandleader, whose former students include Danny Gottlieb, TigerBill Meligari, Bruce Springsteen E Street Band drummer

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on '' Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' ...

, Rich Galichon, Phish drummer Jon Fishman, Gary Feldman, Patrick Wante, Tony Woo, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons drummer Gerry Polci, Jerry Granelli, RIOT drummer Sandy Slavin, retired Army Blues drummer Steve Fidyk, Glenn Johnson, Pittsburgh drummer Bennett Carlise, ''Level System'' author and professional drummer Jeff W. Johnson, Jazz drummer John B. Riley, and Bon Jovi drummer

Tico Torres Hector Juan Samuel "Tico" Torres (born October 7, 1953) is an American musician, artist, and entrepreneur, best known as the drummer, percussionist, and a songwriter for American rock band Bon Jovi. In 2018, Torres was inducted into the Rock ...

. Morello appeared in many Brubeck performances and contributed to over 60 albums with Brubeck. On "

", he plays an imaginative drum solo maintaining the 5/4 time signature throughout. Another example of soloing in odd time signatures can be heard on "

Unsquare Dance "Unsquare Dance" is a composition by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck that was released as a single in 1961. Included on Brubeck's album '' Time Further Out'', the piece reached No. 93 on the ''Cash Box'' chart on December 16, 1961. Time signature Wri ...

", in which he solos using only sticks without drums in 7/4 time. At the end of the track, he can be heard laughing about the "trick" ending. He also features on " Blue Rondo à la Turk", " Strange Meadow Lark", " Pick-Up Sticks" and " Castilian Drums". During his career, Morello appeared on over 120 albums. He authored several drum books, including ''Master Studies'', published by Modern Drummer Publications, and also made instructional videos. Morello was the recipient of many awards, including ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' magazine's best drummer award for seven years in a row, and '' Down Beat'' magazine's best drummer award five years in a row. He was elected to the ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public. ''Mo ...

'' magazine Hall of Fame in 1988, the Percussive Arts Society Hall of Fame in 1993, and was the recipient of Hudson Music's first TIP (Teacher Integration Program) Lifetime Achievement award in June, 2010. Morello died at his home in Irvington, New Jersey, on March 12, 2011, aged 82, and is interred at Saint Michael Cemetery. Upon his death, Morello's wife Jean gave control of Joe Morello's memorabilia and collections to Marvin Burock, one of Joe's students, who had toured extensively with Morello and who was tasked with transcribing Morello's ''

'' articles for ten years.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

* ''

Collections Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collection ...

'' (Intro, 1957) with Red Norvo,

and

Gerry Wiggins Gerald Foster Wiggins (May 12, 1922 – July 13, 2008) was an American jazz pianist and organist. Early life Wiggins was born in New York City on May 12, 1922.Vacher, Pete"Wiggins, Gerry" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd edition). G ...

* ''Joe Morello'' (RCA Bluebird, 1961-62) (Issued in 1989 - Partially reissues ''It's About Time'') * ''It's About Time'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

, 1962) * ''Another Step Forward'' (Ovation, 1969) * ''Percussive Jazz'' (Ovation, 1977) * ''Going Places'' ( DMP, 1993) * ''Morello Standard Time'' (DMP, 1994)

As sideman

With

* 1957 '' Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A.'' * 1957 '' Dave Digs Disney'' * 1957 ''Reunion'' * 1958 ''Jazz Goes to Junior College'' * 1958 '' Jazz Impressions of Eurasia'' * 1958 '' Newport 1958'' * 1958 '' The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe'' * 1959 '' Gone with the Wind'' * 1959 ''The Riddle'' * 1959 ''

'' * 1960 '' Brubeck and Rushing'' * 1960 '' Brubeck à la mode'' * 1961 '' Take Five Live'' * 1961 ''

Time Further Out ''Time Further Out'' (subtitled '' Miró Reflections'') is a jazz studio album by the Dave Brubeck Quartet released by Columbia Records in November 1961. It features the "classic" lineup of the quartet: pianist and leader Dave Brubeck, alto sa ...

'' * 1961 '' Tonight Only!'' * 1962 '' Countdown—Time in Outer Space'' * 1962 ''Music from West Side Story'' * 1962 '' The Real Ambassadors'' * 1963 '' Bossa Nova U.S.A.'' * 1963 '' Brandenburg Gate: Revisited'' * 1963 ''Dave Brubeck Quartet in Amsterdam'' * 1961 ''Near-Myth'' * 1963 '' At Carnegie Hall'' * 1964 '' Dave Brubeck in Berlin'' * 1964 '' Jazz Impressions of Japan'' * 1964 ''

Time Changes ''Time Changes'' is a 1964 album by The Dave Brubeck Quartet, based upon the use of time signatures that were unusual in jazz music. The whole second side of the album, the composition "Elementals", resulted from a relationship with Rayburn Wrig ...

'' * 1965 '' Angel Eyes'' * 1965 '' Jazz Impressions of New York'' * 1965 ''The Canadian Concert of Dave Brubeck'' * 1966 '' My Favorite Things'' * 1966 '' Time In'' * 1966 '' Anything Goes: The Music of Cole Porter'' * 1967 '' Bravo! Brubeck!'' * 1967 ''Right Now!'' * 1967 ''

The Last Time We Saw Paris ''The Last Time We Saw Paris'' is a 1968 live album by Dave Brubeck and his quartet, recorded in Paris during their final tour. Reception The initial ''Billboard'' review of the album from 29 June 1968 felt that "Brubeck fans will cherish this o ...

'' * 1968 '' Jackpot!'' * 1971 ''Summit Sessions'' * 1972 ''Adventures in Time'' * 1973 ''On Campus'' * 1976 '' 25th Anniversary Reunion'' * 1988 ''The Great Concerts: Amsterdam Copenhagen Carnegie Hall'' * 1991 ''Live (1956–1957)'' * 1992 ''Live (1954 and 1959)'' * 1993 ''Someday My Prince Will Come'' * 1993 ''St. Louis Blues'' With

* 1961 '' New Vibe Man in Town'' * 1962 '' Who Is Gary Burton?'' With

* 1954 ''Tal Farlow Quartet'' * 1955 ''The Tal Farlow Album'' With

* 1952 ''Lullaby of Birdland'' * 1955 ''Marian McPartland in Concert'' *1955 ''Live At the Hickory House'' * 1956 ''After Dark'' * 1957 ''The Marian McPartland Trio'' * 2002 ''Live at Shanghai Jazz'' * 2003 ''All My Life'' With

Gil Mellé Gilbert John Mellé (31 December 1931 – 28 October 2004) was an American artist, jazz musician and film composer. Life and career In the 1950s, Mellé created the cover art for albums by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. Mel ...

*'' Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet'' (Blue Note, 1953) *'' Gil Mellé Quintet with Urbie Green and Tal Farlow'' (Blue Note, 1953) With Sal Salvador * 1956 ''Shades of Sal Salvador'' *'' Juicy Lucy'' (Bee Hive, 1978) With Chuck Wayne *'' The Jazz Guitarist'' (Savoy, 1953

956 Year 956 ( CMLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Emperor Constantine VII appoints Nikephoros Phokas to commander of th ...

With others * 1954 ''Jimmy Raney Quintet'', Jimmy Raney *1956 ''The Middle Road'', Jimmy McPartland * 1957 ''Dream of You'',

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1930) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording '' Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown), was an immediate success and associated her with the first generation ...

* 1957 ''Mr. Roberts Plays Guitar'', Howard Roberts * 1958 ''Sweet Paul Vol. 1''

* 1961 ''Jazz Winds from a New Direction'',

Hank Garland Walter Louis Garland (11 November 1930 – 27 December 2004), professionally Hank Garland, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He started as a country musician, played rock and roll as it became popular in the 1950s, and released a jazz al ...

* 1977 ''Early Art'',

* 1979 '' The Big Apple Bash'',

* 1994 ''Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich'', Buddy Rich Big Band * 1994 ''The Gamut'', Robert Hohner * 1995 ''Two Facets of Louis: 1920-1950'',

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

* 1997 ''Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich Vol. 2'', Buddy Rich Big Band * 2000 ''Chega de Saudade'',

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...

* 2007 ''Sings the Ultimate American Songbook Vol. 1'',

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

Videography

*''Joe Morello – Drum Method 1: The Natural approach to Technique'' (DVD) Hot Licks 2006 *''Joe Morello – Drum Method 2: Around the Kit'' (DVD) Hot Licks 2006 *''Joe Morello, Danny Gottlieb: Natural Drumming Lessons 1&2'' (DVD) Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 2005 *''Joe Morello, Danny Gottlieb: Natural Drumming Lessons 3&4'' (DVD) Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 2006 *''Joe Morello, Danny Gottlieb: Natural Drumming Lessons 5&6'' (DVD) Mel Bay Publications, Inc. 2006 *''The Art of Playing with Brushes'' (DVD) Hudson Music LLC 2007

Bibliography

* ''New Directions in Rhythm: Studies in 3/4 and 5/4 Time'' 1963 * ''Off the Record: A Collection of Famous Drum Solos'' 1966 * ''Rudimental Jazz: A Modern Application of Rudiments to the Drum Outfit'' 1967 * ''Master Studies: Exercises for the Development of Control and Technique'' Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. 1983 * ''Master Studies II: More Exercises for the Development of Control and Technique'' Modern Drummer Publications, Inc. 2006 * ''Rudimental Jazz: A Musical Application of Rudiments to the Drumset'' including CD, Modern Drummer Publications, Classics Series 2010

References

External links

* *
Joe Morello
at Drummer Cafe *
Joe Morello
Interview for the NAMM Oral History Program
Rutgers Graduate Thesis on Joe Morello by his student Marvin Burock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morello, Joe 1928 births 2011 deaths People from Irvington, New Jersey Musicians from New Jersey Musicians from Springfield, Massachusetts American jazz drummers Jazz musicians from Massachusetts Dave Brubeck Quartet members