Homage Greg Piccolo Emit Doog, 2002   Buy it online

Greg Piccolo moves the soul and fills the senses with an aromatic blend of musical flavors that are pure heaven. One of North America's very best jazz, blues and R&B artists, Piccolo continues performing to sellout crowds from the foamy shores of Cape Cod to the misty breezes off the San Francisco Bay. With an impressive resume of popular recordings, Grammy nominations and session work, having backed such well-known artists as Pat Benetar, Lou Rawls, Big Joe Turner and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Greg Piccolo has yet to slow down. When describing his music, Piccolo comments, "It's always been about finding a good song, listening to it, putting my own style on it and playing it. ... I've never thought about doing anything else." This Rhode Island native began his musical career some 30 years ago, at the age of 13, playing music from British invasion groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. A few years later, Piccolo met up with guitarist Duke Robillard and joined his cover band, The Variations. They shortly went their separate ways, Piccolo forming his own cover band, while Duke chose to follow the blues sound of Muddy Waters and Paul Butterfield. Remembering that time, Piccolo says, "We didn't really know what we wanted to do other than play music." Their initial split didn't last long, by the early 1970s Piccolo and Duke teamed up again and co-founded the highly successful, world renowned R&B band, Roomful Of Blues. Those initial days of their newly formed band, Piccolo recalls, "That music knocked me out! ... I didn't care if I made any money playing it, and there's no way I expected to become famous. After all, there was no market for that kind of music, we had to create it. Roomful Of Blues was already into swing music long before it's big revival. ... Roomful wasn't wearing zoot suits and doing superficial things. We always had to take the tough road. We always had a chip on our shoulders, that was part of our image." As co-founder of Roomful, Piccolo enjoyed many successful years with the band. By 1979, Robillard decided it was time to leave, placing Piccolo in a leadership role. After making the adjustment to the loss of Robillard, Piccolo decided to extend the brass section, making the band a total group experience while maintaining their popular sound. Roomful Of Blues continued their successful formula for many years with Piccolo behind the wheel. As time passed, Piccolo was evolving as a musician, with a relentless desire to expand his musical horizons beyond Roomful Of Blues. Piccolo recalls, "I was really struggling inside." He felt that he "wasn't completely satisfied. I started thinking, I've been doing this same kind of music for so long, maybe I can't do anything else." Piccolo continued writing original material and composing music, hoping to eventually break out on his own. Finally, in 1990, Piccolo recorded his first solo album, Heavy Juice, a critically acclaimed work influenced by the Roomful sound that was well received among his peers. It was a shot in the arm for Piccolo, certainly the catalyst that helped him leave the band in 1994 and begin his solo career. "It was the hardest thing that I've ever done, and I was really scared when I left." He felt, however, that there "were a lot of reasons, and it was past time." Though the break was wrenching, Piccolo felt it was inevitable and, in the end, a real positive for everyone concerned. "It was sort of like leaving home, but it was something I had to do if I wanted to work on my own music." Piccolo doesn't regret the years spent with Roomful, it gave him an opportunity to work with some well-known artists that also happen to be his musical idols, people like Big Joe Turner, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Earl King. Piccolo said, "It was like taking a master class in jump blues, those sessions are some of my all-time favorite musical memories." Piccolo organized his own band, adding a keyboard player, a drummer and named his three piece band, "Heavy Juice." He was able to explore the music kept inside for so long. This new group of talented musicians worked instinctively with Piccolo, having a keen sense of his musical vision and where he wanted to take their sound. "There's more diversity with this group," Piccolo says about the band. "I can do more of what I want to do." These are all changes that the musician feels really good about. "We're really strong right now, what you hear on the records is what we sound like live." Piccolo and his band Heavy Juice recorded three very successful albums, the first being Acid Blue in 1995 with the Fantasy record label. It was selected by CD Review magazine as one of their top 10 blues recordings for that year. This 12 track recording starts full-throttle with "Peacock Alley," highlighting Piccolo's strength at tenor sax. The overall sound is excellent, with a few stand-out tracks worth mentioning. First is, "Someday After Awhile (You'll Be Sorry)" a deeply moving and powerful blues number. Piccolo delivers his direct, no-nonsense vocals with some hard-driving guitar solos. Next is "I Can Do This All Night Long," a top 40-type number that's filled with Piccolo's most tender vocals; a true love song. Finally, "Tuff Guy" a modern, hip, dance floor number with heavy horn overtones. The CD concludes with, "Keep On Tryin'," a Piccolo-penned number that could be considered his mantra, loaded with a hard-driving, urban sound. An excellent first effort for Piccolo and Heavy Juice. Their second recording with the Fantasy label was in 1997 with Red Lights, a popular album featuring 11 songs, seven written by Piccolo. Here, Piccolo and the band showcase their progressive versatility and depth in musicianship. The growth and maturity of this band is quite evident the minute you listen. The album starts with a great blues shuffle, "Old Maid Boogie," then changes gear with "Rockin' Chair," a more hard-driving rock/blues tune. "My Baby's Gone(Alicia's Song)" is a slow and sultry number with some excellent vocal and sax work by Piccolo. "Acid Blue" is a sax number that's loaded with an urban jazz type sound: the kind of music that gets you up and moving. "Red Lights" is a hip, reggae-flavored number that will surely get you out on the dance floor. Some excellent keyboard and guitar solos are heard on this track. Piccolo gives a stellar performance of Duke Ellington's "Blue Pepper." "Money," written by Piccolo, is a funky, jazz tune that accelerates into a hip-hop format. This second effort from Piccolo and his band is a great example of their innovative genius and contemporary sound. The latest recording, Homage, released in February of 2001, is their debut album with new record label Emit Doog Music. It's a complete tribute piece, honoring those sax artists of the 1940s who helped to influence and shape the style of music that Piccolo now calls his own. Piccolo's musical idols and mentors introduced a whole new sound that the artist fell in love with and has studied for over 30 years. Homage celebrates the sax giants Lester Young, Ben Webster, Illinois Jacquet and Red Prysock. Piccolo brings back their sound, with his own creative style that's heard on his solo work. Bob Porter, from Portraits in Blue, explains, "Few players would have the courage to attempt what Greg Piccolo has done here. Fewer still would find the ability to pull it off as well as Greg Piccolo has done here." Dave "Doc" Piltz from Blues On Stage wrote, "On Homage, Piccolo displays his tremendous skills while paying his respects to some of the most renowned jazz players in history, creating a very entertaining and listenable piece of work ." Says Piccolo, "This CD basically is my recreation of songs I love, by players I love. I'm not trying to play outside the lines here, but just playing in a way I can come close to getting the right feeling." Piccolo points out that Homage is a tribute: not derivative. "I wanted to capture something, to truly feel those notes that they played, without it being just me copying them." Greg Piccolo and his band Heavy Juice are one of the hardest-working groups on tour, averaging over 200 concert dates a year, building an impressive following and expanding their fan base at every stop along the way. Piccolo and his band deliver a more diverse contemporary sound that covers such styles as rock, blues, funk, soul and acid jazz. Scott McIennan from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette wrote that "what Piccolo produces is a pretty compelling portrait of that intersection where jazz, blues, r&b, and early rock n' roll meet." Bill Burdick from WRPI states that, "Every Piccolo performance is a high energy experience of tasteful guitar licks, soulful vocals, and the hottest, honking, r&b sax on this planet!" Watching Piccolo and his band on stage is like experiencing a gentle yet exhilarating roller coaster ride. Each song during a performance creates an emotional response that carries you through the soft, gentle sounds of a ballad, to the high energy groove of r&b, to the quiet heartache of the blues, to the hard-drivin' beat of rock n' roll. What makes each performance such a sensory experience, first and foremost, is the diverse quality of their music. It's a full innovative sound with fresh, creative nuances, the kind of music you can feel. Second, is Piccolo's versatility as a musician, holding the crowd's complete attention night after night. He brings a visual experience on stage by showcasing his talents on tenor and alto sax, playing lead guitar and delivering lead vocals. Piccolo captivates the audience by alternating between sax and lead guitar all on the same song, never missing a beat. Greg Piccolo is more than a talented musician: he's one of those rare artists who's genuinely gifted, a pure treasure. A master craftsman who will entertain you with a performance full of fire and soul. Whether he's playing swing, jump blues, acid jazz or a funky reggae mix, his music is pure emotion, compelling, and totally electric. | September 2002   Pamela L. Dow is a full-time music journalist/freelance writer living in Western Massachusetts. Besides creative non-fiction and poetry, her work focuses on the blues genre, especially within the past three years. Her album and concert reviews, articles and profiles on blues artists both past and present are found at several music sites on the 'Net. She's a member of both the Association of Music Journalists and Photographers and The Blues Foundation.   You can visit Greg Piccolo's Web site at www.gregpiccolo.com.