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Joe Morello

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Joe Morello was an American jazz drummer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1928. He had poor eyesight from birth and therefore looked for activities indoors. He began playing the violin at six, and as a child he appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. When he heard the violinist Jascha Heifetz at fifteen, he decided he would never equal his sound. He switched to drums and studied with George Lawrence Stone, who dedicated one of his textbooks to him.

Music and breakthrough

In New York, Morello played with guitarist Tal Farlow and in pianist Marian McPartland's trio, among others. He turned down offers from Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey and instead went on tour with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, where he stayed for more than ten years. With saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and Brubeck he made Time Out (1959). Desmond wrote Take Five specially to showcase Morello in a time signature of five beats. He also plays in unusual time signatures on Blue Rondo à la Turk and Unsquare Dance.

Influence

Morello was a drummer with an enormous technique, who used that technique to play musically. He showed that you can swing and solo in odd time signatures. In doing so he made Brubeck's rhythmic experiments possible. In 1976 he went blind, and after that he devoted himself mainly to teaching, including Max Weinberg. He died in 2011.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Take Five (1959) by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Count along in five beats and notice how Morello keeps that metre going in his drum solo while the piano carries on with the same pattern.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists