Joe Castro

At one time a topflight soloist and accompanist in textbook bop fashion, Joe Castro eventually departed jazz world for more profitable territory of show biz and Las Vegas. He began playing professionally at 15 in his Pittsburg, California hometown. Castro formed his own trio upon completing his army service in 1947, working on both the West Coast and in Hawaii. During the '50s he backed vocalists Anita O'Day and June Christy before joining Teddy Edwards' band in 1959. Castro recorded and performed with Edwards and also made his own recordings as a leader before becoming music director for Tony Martin from 1961 to 1963. Since that time, he has been busy accompanying vocalists and playing in Las Vegas pit bands, only rarely returning to straight ahead jazz world. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Live at Falcon Lair has a more interesting back story than many older recordings that have been rescued for posterity, but even the story takes a backseat to the excellent music. Falcon Lair wasn't a club, but the home of Doris Duke (and once the home of Rudolph Valentino), whom pianist Joe Castro married in 1956. Castro developed his musical rep playing around L.A., sometimes in the company of bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Ron Jefferson. He also liked to invite folks over to Falcon Lair to jam, just for the fun of it, and he recorded the sessions for possible release. On this particular recording, captured on April 1, 1956, the trio is joined by Zoot Sims on alto -- not soprano -- sax. The set of eight pieces is decidedly loose, allowing ample space for Sims and Castro to develop their ideas while Vinnegar's walking bass and Jefferson's balanced percussion keep the music moving forward. The set kicks off with a particularly powerful take on "A Night in Tunisia," before offering solid versions of "Pennies from Heaven" and "I'll See You in My Dreams." The quartet also tackles several Castro originals, including the appropriately titled "Swinging With Rudolph." Unlike many vault releases, this one is fresh and vital, and will be of special interest to Sims fans interested in his alto work. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., All Music Guide

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~