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The Contemporary Tuba Artist....
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....Joe "TubaJoe" Exley is known for his unprecedented diversity and is regarded as one of the most "innovative and influential tubists blowing notes right now." (Parker Mouthpieces) "truly virtuosic" - Fearless Radio "seductive" - All About Jazz "prodigious" - Obscure Sound "throbbing" "you can't not dance with abandon" - New Orleans Times-Picayune performed with "hundreds of groups in hundreds of clubs in the hottest cities." - CBS New York "Exley renders the tuba an instrument of funk on par with the Fender Jazz Bass" - KUT Radio, Austin, TX "The voluminous sound exploded on stage with a brass band directed by arranger and tubist Joe Exley." - Boxx Magazine "an imposing tectonic plate of a brass theme" -Pitchfork -------- As a solo artist, studio musician, prolific sideman, music director and arranger, Joe can safely claim to have bridged a wider gap of genres than just about any other tuba player known. Even when at home in New York City, Joe is 'perpetually on tour.' His live performances number in the thousands and include performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, headlining domestic and international music festivals, and clubs and studios everywhere in between. TubaJoe has been heard atop Billboard charts and repeatedly on the networks of ABC, BBC, CBS, NBC, PBS, and NPR, appeared on over 200 recordings and soundtracks, and has been featured on Bravo! TV, as well as on radio across Europe. Joe appears (as himself) in Mindy Kaling's recent feature film "Late Night" with Dame Emma Thompson. An accomplished pedagogue, students of Joe's have received considerable scholarships to some of the world’s top music schools and have become accomplished professionals themselves. As a group instructor, brass groups of Joe’s are consistently at the very top of their competitive fields. TubaJoe was dubbed "The Tuba Gunslinger" at a festival in Bordeaux, France, as he brought the house down with the Latin Jazz-Rock band Gato Loco. France’s Le Monde called the performance "Exotic" while "simultaneously urban." Upbringing: Down in Louisiana, TubaJoe started early as an instrumentalist with violin lessons at the age of two. Later at age seven in Colorado came the clarinet, followed by the oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. At the age of 15, Joe was at a school band contest and heard other bands with a deep low end that his band was missing. Joe’s school was without a tuba player, so Joe lugged it home and learned how to play. Joe eventually went through traditional classical training, but all the while could not get rid of the powerful influence of rock, jazz, blues, and funk. Joe completed conventional music schooling, first at the University of Northern Colorado, then off to the "Tuba-Mecca" of Chicago for graduate school at Northwestern University. It was there in the big city where Joe became a disciple of urban life and became in demand as an orchestral, chamber, and jazz player; all the while exploring new ways to fit the tuba into any other application or new genre he could find. A few years later, Joe made the move to New York City, and now has lived in the music-rich neighborhood of Harlem for 17 years. Joe is an endorsee/artist of Accord Case, Parker Mouthpieces, and Sennheiser electronics. -written by Lorraine Tucci HERE FOR A MORE ACADEMIC AND TUBA-SPECIFIC BIO (for the Tuba Folks!) |
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