Joe Bucci Born: August 9th, 1927 Passed: September 30th, 2008 Wild About Basie! He achieved great admiration and respect as one of the greatest jazz organist. Here's what Capitol Records had to say about Joe Bucci on his album, "Wild About Basie!"; Joe Bucci, the brilliant young organist who makes his Capitol album debut here is one of the finest exponents of jazz Hammond around these days, and that's an opinion set forth by no less an authority than the great Count Basie, himself an enthusiastic Bucci booster. He was first impressed when he heard the Massachusetts-born organist at a 1961 jazz concert that featured Bucci along with the mighty Basie Band. This led to an engagement in The Count's own New York night club, where the Bucci Duo, which also includes drummer Joe Riddick, more than justified Basie's faith by packing-in the patrons night after night, during a sensational four-week stay. The crowd's response there, and later at the celebrated Newport Jazz Festival, convinced Mr. Basie that he was far from alone in his estimation of Bucci's talent. Hearing Joe Bucci's approach to jazz makes it quite easy to understand his special appeal for those who dig big-band swing. A long-time fan of the driving Basie Band, Bucci amazingly applies the same forceful style to the Hammond. Listen especially for Joe's remarkable work on the organ's foot pedals, as he creates a rocking bass line that combines with Riddick's tasteful drumming to stimulate a full, big-band rhythm section. The result is a superbly-swinging double-play combination . . . Basie-to-Bucci-to-You . . . and a dynamic new Hammond sound that further justifies Joe Bucci's rating as one of America's fastest-rising instrumental stars. Two For The Show After a pretty successful run with the "Capitol" album, "Intro" records produced this album. "Two For The Show", recorded on a customized Hammond B3. The theme of this album was Broadway Shows. I'll scan some other albums, including some that I'm on as well! Here's what Boston Jazz DJ, Norm Nathan wrote up for the back of this album; I first heard Joe a few years ago at a small lounge in an industrial suburb of Boston. He had just begun to try out what was, for him, a new, swinging style, and he was already beginning to compile what has since grown into an unusually large and devoted following. Since then, he has developed a big-band style that is distinctively his own, an approach that shows him unmistakably to be one of the masters of the Hammond. Joe can coax such sounds from the organ!...swinging electric guitar effects, breathy flute tones, Shearing-style vibes, a banjo beat...he can even manage to sound like the whole Basie band! And he compliments it all with the strong underlying beat of his untiring left foot on the bass pedals. As one who has been a Joe Bucci fan since that first meeting some years ago, it's a pleasure to introduce him to you. This, his second album, is a real treat! ". NORM NATHAN, WBZ Radio, Boston. Joe Bucci Trio - LIVE! This was the first album he performed with his son, Joe Jr. It was simply called "Joe Bucci Trio - LIVE!" On the back of the album, Joe Jr. was written up as a "multi-talented" young man, organist, drummer, and vocalist. An accomplished, tasteful drummer now complimenting his dad, bringing to the duo the new Bucci beat and the big band sound. The third member, a girl singer, Martha Maxwell was the lead singer of the trio, and could really belt out the tunes, as well as sweet, soft, ballads. Midnite Blue This was the trio's second album and Bucci's fourth. Al Julian, a Boston Jazz Editor with "Nightfall" wrote: Together, these three talents form a powerhouse, much based in the mainstream of jazz, with all the advantages of the top 40 happenings. This trio can be heard from a long distance, and a pleasure to listen to at any distance. Shortly after the release of this record, Joe Jr. got an offer to go with a "Motown/Soul" band called Brown Sugar & Co. This band featured Sharon Jones, a talented a vocalist, who had a similar sound to Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin in style. While in this band, they recorded "Before The Color Fades", a song dedicated to American troops fighting in the Persian Gulf War. Joe Jr. was the lead vocal, receiving national attention. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.