Joe Fagan
Funky Lizard
© 1999 GEMA
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
Smooth Jazz in the vein of Joe Sample, Ramsey Lewis and Ellis Marsalis
tracks
try this
albums you will love
genres you will love
By Location
Recommended if you like ...
links
notes
Joe Fagan began playing piano by ear when he was four years old. One of the first things he learned to play was the blues when his older brother, Jerry, a sax player, taught him some basic chord progressions. Joe continued with his musical training and played violin and bassoon, as well as piano, through his high school years. He went on to college to study music and has a degree in music education from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. He began playing piano professionally at local clubs in the Alton, Illinois and St. Louis, Missouri area, initally with the Harry Simon Orchestra. Upon graduation from college, he performed for one season as the principle bassoonist in the Midland-Odessa Symphony in Odessa, Texas. In 1979, Joe joined the Air Force to fly jet fighters, and throughout his 24-year military career, maintained his jazz piano chops by playing in clubs with various musicians wherever he was stationed. After moving to Stuttgart, Germany in 1997, Joe met drummer and vibraphonist Benjamin "Pops" Wilson at a local performance. This was a turning point in Joe's musical performance career as his musical affiliation and friendship with Pops has led to the formation of an incredible trio with Pops on drums, and Markus Bodenseh, on upright bass. This is the trio he currently performs with in the Stuttgart area. The trio has been performing for the past four years and recently recorded an album with a local singer, Uschi Wiese. Joe has performed with local artists such as Harriett Lewis, Pops Wilson, Elcilyn Enniga, Angie Bastians, Markus Bodenseh, Davida Petrocca, Lorenzo Petrocca, Armin Fischer, and Uschi Wiese. Joe and his trio continue to perform in the Stuttgart area and have developed a very loyal following, both German and American. Joe's piano style can be described as very smooth with lots of attention paid to rich chords, contrasting dynamics, and great inventive solo lines. The CD, Funky Lizard, was his first project with drummer, Serge Susanin, from Moscow, and bassist, Matthias Kahl, from Stuttgart. Pops Wilson mostly played vibes on this album, however, with Joe's current trio, he does only drum work. Joe's next project is scheduled to begin recording in March 2007 and should be released in the fall of 2007.