Joe Morello passes away

[Morgenthaler]

Thank you for the music and the teaching efforts, Mr. Morello

[MrGroover]

Bummer. The last of the great jazz players.

Roy Haynes, Jimmy Cobb, Jack De Johnette, Paul Motion, Ed Shaughnessy, Billy Hart, Al Foster

[Christopher]

I was lucky enough to have studied with Joe for a short period several years ago. Words are useless to express how much of an impact he had on my drumming.

While I’ll certainly miss him as a teacher, I’ll miss him as a person even more.

A class act through and through, and one of the coolest people I’ve met in this life so far.

Generous, patient and genuine.

A great man who will be sorely missed.

Thoughts and prayers go out to Joe’s wife, Jean. A super lady in her own right.

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

Christopher, care to share any memories/experiences?

[Da Chooch]

RIP good sir.

[Christopher]

Christopher, care to share any memories/experiences?

Sure.

For me, each time I went to see him was a big deal. My Dad (who had passed away a few years prior to me studying with Joe) was a long time Brubeck fan, so Joe was a huge part of my musical upbringing. One of my first memories (of anything) is hearing my Dad playing “Blue Rondo a la Turk” on our stereo at home, from my playpen.

That being said, you can imagine how nerve racking it was to go (I was in my early 30s at the time) and meet the man, with a chance of actually studying with him.

But Joe calmed me right down. He just has that way about him. He always made me feel at ease. I imagine that’s one of the reasons many feel he was such a great teacher.

Some of the best parts of lessons with him were the stories he told. About all kinds of things. From hanging with Buddy and Jim Chapin, to what it was like playing jazz in Japan in the 60s. Just too cool for school kind of stuff. Because there he is, sitting two feet away from you telling you things about places and people that you usually are just reading about. But he was there. They were his friends. They were his gigs. Just crazy cool.

The room he taught in was setup with a kit on one side and two practice pads on the other. The vast majority of my time with him was spent on the pads. I was interested in learning better hand technique, so that’s where we spent most of the time.

Technically, I have never seen or heard anyone play as smoothly as Joe. He would often play softly on his pad while talking. Not thinking about what he was doing, just subconsciously playing while he was talking. And the things he would be playing would be amazing. He could go from singles to doubles and back again, and unless you were looking directly at his stick tips, you would not know that he was going between singles and doubles. Smooth as silk. The same exact sounds. When I stopped him and asked him about it one time, he said something like “What? That? You can do that!” No, Joe. Not like you. “Sure you can.” “Try it.”

That was how he was. Always encouraging. Always patient. Always cool.

[Tombo 7/4]

RIP Joe, nicely done!

I've seen him play once in NYC in the 90s. I was walking on the street at night and saw Joe playing through a basement window in a small restaurant.
I sat on the sidewalk and checked him play. So tasteful, smooth and fluid.
I wondered how he was gigging around town being blind. He was certainly not as wealthy as Stevie Wonder to have everything being taken care off with some money left.
Anybody knows how he was functioning to work with his handicap?

[Jeremy Smirnoff]

Thanks Christopher. Way cool of an experience. He will be missed. He had such amazing musicality to his playing. He had chops too, but would use them in such a catchy, musical way that you couldn't help but tap your foot to his rhythm! I am envious of you because you have had THAT guy as an instructor. Damn cool!

[Joe Nocella]

I took a lesson with him about 15 years ago. While I never claim to have studied with him, the things he showed me profoundly changed my approach to technique and are still relevant and useful to me today. He was a very kind man, and said he dug the way I swung! Whether he meant it or not didn't matter, Joe freakin Morello said it! Rest in peace sir....it was a pleasure.

[Jim Richman]

I did an afternoon with him maybe 20 years ago. Awesome. He showed me some things that to this day remain a part of me. Just some paradiddle things, buzz a diddles, ruff a diddles. All things that coulod be applied numerous ways. He also played the bass drum with his hand a foot---way cool. It was a great time at The Long Island Drums Shop.