April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OR LADY OF THE AMERICAS, ALBANY
Talented teen plans jazz music career
Talented teen plans jazz music career
A parishioner of Our Lady of the Americas Shrine Church in Albany (a mission of Blessed Sacrament parish), Joe says he was "introduced to jazz at a young age.
"I started playing trombone in fourth grade," the 17-year-old explained.
Joe remembers his father, Mark, playing jazz at home throughout his childhood. The first song the teen remembers hearing was "Freddie Freeloader" by jazz great Miles Davis. Joe's mother, Mary, was a band director at one time; she now works for Family Promise of the Capital Region, which helps homeless families find temporary shelter in churches (read previous stories at www.evangelist.org).
"I wanted to be a part of it," Joe said. By the fifth grade, he was playing jazz himself.
The young musician is in his high school band, but he also plays with the Empire State Youth Jazz Ensemble and the pre-college program of The Manhattan School of Music.
Every Saturday, Joe's father drives him down to New York City for the latter program. It's tough to make time for it all, but Joe said that his love for music makes it worth the trip.
Jazz is "a chance for me to express myself," he said. "Each of us in life have a thing that sets us apart from the crowd. For me, music is that. It's something that I love and it's something that defines me."
The young musician has volunteered his time and talent at numerous fundraisers for charities and his parish. "At church events, I play solo piano," he said, recalling his lessons in classical piano, starting in first grade.
Being a musician, Joe told The Evangelist, helps him meet like-minded people. He's met some of his closest friends through music camps or experiences; he was even able to meet famed trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who's also the artistic director of jazz at New York's Lincoln Center. Joe participated in a summer program Mr. Marsalis led at Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson.
The active teen is also involved at Our Lady of the Americas Church.
"I was an altar server for a long time," he said. "I'm currently transitioning to be a lector, which I won't be able to do [again] next year, because I'll be in college."
Having not yet chosen a college, Joe has auditioned for several local schools and colleges as far away as Miami.
"Being a jazz musician has sort of opened my mind to be very accepting of a lot of different things," he mused. When a musician is taking a solo on the bandstand, he said, the person has to be in tune with the other band members. The solo performance "has to fit with what the other players are doing."
Playing trombone has taught him the importance of practice. "If I loved jazz this much, then I owed it to myself to practice," he noted.
Joe often practices in his bedroom at home -- with frequent interruptions from his father, who also plays the trombone. "He's still my teacher when I'm practicing," the teen said. "He'll come in and critique me and say, 'Oh, you could support your air here.'"
At 17, though, Joe wants to find his own way.
"I don't take his suggestions."[[In-content Ad]]
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