Joe

About me:

This album is some of the important things in my life and the special people that have shared music love wisdom and laughs with me. . . as well as a few drinx. . . Thank You all

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I started life, as I know it, in West Milford NJ. Rural beauty eveywhere lots of neighborhood friends Echo Lake.Fishing Swimming Stick ball hiking bicycle tag ice skating hocky ALL DAY.It is here where I saw a friend of mine Gene Cimmino R.I.P. play the snare drum in the gym of my elemntary school in concert. I was never the same, my first hit of rim crack. Had loads of fun and learned many things at WM High perfected my craft thanx to My teachers Herb Miles,Ross Holman and a slue of great privates. Off to William Paterson where my world collided with 20th century percussion ensemble music and all of its outness and exact loosness. I thank all of the marvelous people I spent time with there. Ray DesRoches head of the dept. at that time and my teacher. . .whew. "The Leaves are shakin but they aint fallin off!". . . . and a few others things. . .Performed amd toured with the ensemble. Met Dave May had a blast . . .well several actually.Taught too many HS drum lines Graduated 3 elementary schools at once. Full time work YAY Bogota HS,met a woman, moved to Collingswood got married, Taught at Palmyra HS, restored a 3 story victorian and a 51 plymouth as a landlord.Got divorced, sold the car, lost the house, left Palmyra to tour and record with Deborah Henson Conant Jazz Harpist.Met a woman, great fun [sometimes] Moved to Beverly, Played Many concerts gigs and TV radio shows in most of the US and several countries. Played Costa Cruise lines for a year sailing Eastern and Western Carribbean 7 day cruises, Jamaica,Grand Caymen, Dom. Rep. Mexico USVI great fun great travel . . . ooh boy HHMMM Burlington. Started teaching bought my present home became a councilman in town was lucky enough to have acquired the GREATEST friends a man could want.Play with some of the GREATEST musicians on the planet in some of the GREATEST concert halls and venues and travel across the nation and to the tropics [both sides of the US]Bermuda [6xs] Germany Italy Switzerland See Dave almost everyday, help to get the Burlington Jazz Festival happening 7 times. I have and have had some wonderful young people journey with me for years before their path branches off. Some still are in my life and others THANKFULLY are not.I just got the adjunt percussion position at MERCER COUNTY COLLEGE!! WooHoo I have 6 great students that have rekindled my faith on teaching and share my love of drumming [ Good technique guys sshhh don't wake Mr. Muscle memory !!] There were and are also some beautiful women sprinkled throughout that I fantasize . . . . I mean, think of often. Lets not forget a few puppys and kitties along the way as well. Love my friends, my house,my gardens, playing Drums/perc like breathing. I love listening to my fellow band mates as they play. . . . Of course BUSTIN BALLS and dodging verbal bullets is ALWAYZ a gas. My kitty BU-UU-UUN who has a selective choice of human scratch posts but has been there the whole time. . . . . Grad school?. . . . ohh kay lets do this.. . . God soundz like EEEe Harmony . . . Enuf. . . CYA