On the cover of this disc is a New York City intersection as seen from the rooftop of Joe Kaplowitz’s Brooklyn flat. Street Noise is, without question, a reflection of Joe’s experience as a resident in the Big Apple.
Joe began performing professionally at age 15 in Washington, DC. He earned a degree in music at Youngstown State University in 1995 and since then has performed with the likes of Eddie Daniels, James Moody, Ernie Krivda, Greg Bandy, Randy Jonston, Wycliff Gordan, Ralph Bowen, and Sean Jones. Joe has also shared the stage with David “Fathead” Newman and blues legends Koko Taylor and Lucky Peterson. Since 1999, Joe has fronted groups in appearances at the White House and music venues such as Blues Alley, the Knitting Factory, and the House of Blues. After years of performing in the jazz, blues, and R&B genres, Joe is now moving into new territory. He has been living in New York since 2001 and is actively composing B3 organ music for use in film and the electronic music genre.
LINER NOTES
The Hammond B3 Organ. 400 pounds of sound and enjoyment. It’s the musical and technological root of many of the great keyboard instruments built in the 20th century. So many people from all around the world have played the B3 and made incredible music with it. In this CD are twelve tunes for the B3, ten written by myself, in an effort to make new sounds with the organ. I believe the B3 is capable of making any sound a person can hear. It’s then just a matter of getting it out of the thing somehow. “Street Noise” part 1 and 2 and “Myrtle Avenue Street Crawl” were inspired by all of the weird sounds I hear living at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue and Bedford Avenue in brooklyn, NY. “The cold Chill” and “Mister Heid,” dedicated to Bill Heid, are more in the funk tradition and were written as a collective effort by the trio. “Like Water,” “Sleepin’ On the Job” and the concept behind “It’s Alright With Me” come from a meditative state induced by playing the B3 for many hours late at night. “Eldorado” and Marvin Gaye’s hit, “Try it Baby” are just about grooving at the organ and feeling it. “Neurosis” comes from too much thought about the same things in a repetitive pattern. I can’t say enough good things about this trio or the enlightenment gained from working with Paul Pieper and Marty Morrison. These two gentelmen really put themselves into making this music and gave it tremendous dimension. There will be more to come from this group. Thanks is in order to all who helped get the project off the ground. I would like to thank David Earl for his great sense of vision, the awesome people at Severn Records, Marty and Paul, my family and Leslie for their endless support, and Darrell Nulisch and the band for helping me keep it real. — Joe Kaplowitz
MUSICIANS
Joe Kaplowitz: Hammond B3 Organ
Paul Pieper: Guitar
Marty Morrison: Drums, Percussion
CREDITS
All songs written by Joe Kaplowitz – Joekap Music (BMI), DE Music (BMI) except “It’s Alright With Me” – Cole Porter, Chappell & Co., % Warner Chappell Music Inc. (ASCAP); and “Try It Baby” – Berry Gordy, Jobette Music Co., % EMI Music Pub. (ASCAP)
Produced by David Earl and Joe Kaplowitz
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Severn Sound Studio by David Earl
Assistant Engineer: Steve Cyphers
CD Design: David Earl, Steve Cyphers and Steve Potter
Band photo by Leslie Angelich
Additional photos by Joe Kaplowitz