Joseph Daley Orchestra Project

 Legacy Studios

New York, NY

After four Monday rehearsals, we gathered at Legacy Studios, just off Times Square, for two intensive days of recording.  Joseph spent years saving his own money to make this project a reality, and then invited a bunch of his musical friends to join him in the undertaking.  Ballade for a Fallen African Warrior was originally commissioned by MOBI (Musicians of Brooklyn Initiative)  in 1989.  I presented the premier of the commission in a little church down the street from my apartment in Fort Greene.  Joe expanded the work for the recording project. The rest of the material was a suite, The Seven Deadly Sins.

The ensemble was a hand-picked who's-who of hipsters: Howard Johnson, Mark Taylor, Bob Stewart, Gary Valente, Craig Harris, Warren Smith and Satoshi Takeishi just to start the list.  Dig the trumpet section below (though I played cornet on the final recording)  Lew Soloff, Stanton Davis, EJ Allen, Reggie Pittman and myself.

Joe plans a limited edition art release of the music. We also filmed - I introduced Joe to Robert O'Haire, who did the work on the recently completed Bill Dixon Firehouse 12 project.

 

Images by John Rogers