CHICAGO’S JOE POLICASTRO TRIO
October 18, 19, 20, 21 @8:30PM
Joe Policastro - Bass
Dave Miller - Guitar
Mikel Avery - Drums
Hailed by Downbeat for its “deft analysis of choice repertoire,” and by the Chicago Reader for its “diversity of approaches to all kinds of source material,” the JOE POLICASTRO TRIO is a forward-thinking, Chicago-based jazz trio led by bassist Joe Policastro featuring guitarist Dave Miller and drummer Mikel Avery. While firmly rooted in jazz, the band’s open-minded, inclusive nature draws upon a wide array of musical styles and sources while still keeping the aesthetic of an acoustic trio intact.
The band celebrates the release of its sixth album, Ceremony, this fall. This ultra hi-fi audiophile release features four originals alongside highly-personal readings of music by New Order, Roy Orbison, Joao Bosco, and Thelonious Monk. Their diverse catalog - Sounds Unheard (2022), Nothing Here Belongs (2019), Screen Sounds (2017), POPS! (2016), and West Side Story Suite (2013) - captures the band’s progressive, forward-thinking, non-hierarchical approach in sonic detail showcasing the band’s original music alongside the trio's ability to remake unlikely songs in its own raw, highly idiosyncratic fashion.
True bands are a rarity in jazz these days, especially ones hone their craft as consistently as this one does. The band held court thrice-weekly at Pops for Champagne in downtown Chicago for over a decade. Beyond Chicago, the trio has been extensively playing together at clubs and festivals throughout the US and Canada having even performed for President Barack Obama.