Joe Castro

Armand Joseph "Joe" Castro ( born August 15, 1927 in Miami (Arizona ), † 13 December 2009) was an American jazz pianist and band leader. Initially, bebop -oriented, he accompanied singer and later played in Las Vegas.

Castro went to Pittsburg in the San Francisco area to school and studied at the San José State University. While still a student he formed a jazz trio, with whom he played on the West Coast and Hawaii. In 1956 he went with his trio to New York, where she played in leading jazz clubs like Birdland. In 1956 his trio with Zoot Sims ( appeared on Pablo Records). In 1958 he went back to Los Angeles and was in the quartet of Teddy Edwards with Leroy Vinnegar and Billy Higgins. In 1956 he recorded the album Mood Jazz at Atlantic Records, on which he plays both jazz combo as well as with strings ( arranger Neal Hefti ), and 1958 Groove Funk Soul with his quartet at Atlantic ( with one of the earliest uses of the word radio on a record cover ). 1958/59 and in 1960 he accompanied June Christy and Anita O'Day, he accompanied also by this time.

In the early 1960s he founded with his girlfriend Doris Duke ( a tobacco company heiress and jazz fan ) and with the support of Duke Ellington (with whom he was friends ) Clover Records, the label and the music publishing Jo- Do. The label and the publisher, however, did not survive the separation of Castro and Duke 1966. They also brought only one album out ( Lush Life in 1960 by Castro) and a couple of singles, but there are many absorption bands.

1961 to 1963 he was musical director for Tony Martin. He had further trios and quartets, which include Chico Hamilton, Red Mitchell, Ed Shonk and Howard Roberts belonged. In the 1970s he went to Las Vegas, where he played in orchestras, singers accompanied and musical director of the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel was. He then headed back own small bands in Las Vegas and California.

Since 1966 he was with the singer Loretta Faith Haddad (died 2008) married, with whom he has two sons.

The Jazzdiskographie by Tom Lord lists 25 recording sessions from 1956 to 1985 (in addition to piano and celesta ).

Lexical entry

• Carlo Bohländer et al Reclams Jazz guide, 1989