Joe LoCascio

"UNDER A PINK MOON"
"MS. THING"
"OUR STORY"
Joe LoCascio, a native New Yorker, has resided in Houston since 1977. A prolific performer/composer, he has twelve recordings to his credit, many of them having attained prominent radio airplay nationally and abroad. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz luminaries such as Chet Baker, Freddie Hubbard, Arnett Cobb, Don Wilkerson, Pharoah Sanders, Conrad Herwig, Tim Hagans, Dave Liebman, Randy Brecker, Ernie Watts, Tim Armacost, Billy Hart and George Mraz among others. Jazz critics nationwide have acclaimed him one of the finest artists on the contemporary scene.
He is currently Assistant Chairman of Jazz Studies at Houston Community College where he teaches Piano, Jazz History, Jazz Ensemble and Improvisation Theory. He performs and records with his trio and also with saxophonist Woody Witt.
"When you hear a composition for the first time, the artists have to win you over twice, with their writing and their playing. This can be a challenge, though not apparently for pianist Joe LoCascio, whose In the City of Lost Things succeeds on more than one level."
"…LoCascio’s compositions allow room for ideas to flow along a linear path, like a stream through stones that mark its changes. These patterns can be as spare as a two-chord vamp on “Julian” and as busy as the bustling head on “Naked Rats.” Meters can slip in and out of 5/4 or even 11/8, though so smoothly as to not leave a ripple in their wake."
****(Four Stars)-Robert Doerschuk
- Downbeat Magazine
"On In the City of Lost Things (Heart Music), his compositions (all originals) are versatile, with melody lines that sparkle and flow, building with Bolero-like intensity."
"LoCascio has dazzled since his 1986 debut; what’s impressive is the way his talent continues to grow."
Jeff McCord
- Texas Monthly