Joe Daley
Commemorating Jedi Master
Joe Daley
Reflections on the educator, community builder, multi-instrumentalist, and composer on the occasion of his 75th birthday
by Kevin Ray
As a composer, Mr. Daley is a timbral master. His color combinations are unique and inspired. He’s unmatched in his knowledge of the characteristics of the instruments he writes for, as well as his deftness in combining them to play off each other in unique ways. He has a distinctive way of using rhythmic and harmonic counterpoint to balance the timbral sameness within a particular instrumental section. His longform pieces are cogent, compelling, and profound.
Mr. Daley is also part of a wave of improvising tuba virtuosos such as Howard Johnson and Bob Stewart that came along and revolutionized how the instrument was perceived. He has illustrated his versatility with Cecil Taylor, the Tuvan throat singers of Huun Huur Tu, Natalie Merchant, Howard Johnson, Hazmat Modine, the Kronos String Quartet, the Gangbe Brass Band of Benin, Anthony Braxton, and many others. One of his most consequential associations was with Sam Rivers- a relationship that lasted almost three decades. Mr. Daley performed with Mr. Rivers in many configurations, from trio to big bands, on both tuba and euphonium. These bands revolutionized free improvisation and jazz instrumentation in ways that are still being felt and explored today. Two of my favorite albums are Waves and Black Africa- which I am listening to as I write this piece. Mr. Daley is dazzling on this, playing beautiful duets on euphonium with Mr. Rivers, and then turning on a dime to play wonderful bass counterpoint on his tuba.
I recently read a passage in a book describing jazz’s “devolution” in the late twentieth century from a music that “brought the country together” to “an art music, a niche music,” that “slid into esotericism.” I take issue with this characterization. “Ascension” is no more esoteric than Coleman Hawkins playing “Body & Soul.” Cecil Taylor is no more a niche music than Count Basie. Jazz is no more art music than Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Kendrick Lamar, or Bob Wills and Hank Williams, for that matter. All meaningful art, “high” or “low,” requires you- no, invites you- to come to it; to prepare yourself and meet it halfway. It’s in that approach- that connection with the music, the musicians, and the audience- that community is found. This is true of all artforms, but possibly more so with jazz. In a jazz performance, anything can happen. The artist has no more of an inkling of what’s to come than the audience does. They have the setlist, of course, but that’s barely even a framework. The band members, the audience, the room, the weather- it all comes together to make the performance. We’ve all experienced that transcendent performance that we’ll remember for years; and if, while you experienced it, you were paying attention, you probably noticed the musicians were just as thrilled and enraptured as the audience. This is true community, and by no means exclusive. There is no decoder ring- just companionship, openness, and love.
I’m not sure another artist, or another band, brought this concept home to me on a personal level more than Sam Rivers’ ensemble with Joseph Daley. Mr. Rivers was a generous artist in so many ways. He was equally adept and exquisite in the “mainstream” milieu as he was in the so-called avant-garde. Most importantly, his work helped obliterate the imaginary line between the two for me. The Sam Rivers that plays so beautifully on such albums as A New Conception and Fuschia Swing Song is clearly and audibly the same man who put together incredible small groups with players such as Barry Altschul, Cecil McBee, Warren Smith, and of course, Mr. Daley. You can hear it. The DNA in these projects is identical; the same lyricism, the same narrative mastery; the same erudition. The only differences are stylistic. They both invite, reward, and require cheerful concentration.
Another irony in the concept of modern jazz being an esoteric and insular artform is that as it has evolved, jazz has only become more communal and welcoming. The ensembles are more diverse in every way: in culture, gender orientation, instrumentation, and philosophy. Jazz as an artform has a major component of community involvement, and through his Rivbea organization, Sam Rivers was a significant catalyst for this.
Rivbea was the organization Mr. Rivers and his wife Bea ran from their Tribeca loft in the 70s. It was part of “the loft movement,” which was dedicated to self-determination for artists, while also being a communal force through education, concerts, experimentation, and networking. This movement had a strong ethos of aesthetic inclusivity and experimentation, obliterating arbitrary stylistic lines, while encouraging unique instrumentation, different ensemble sizes, extended techniques, atonality, alternate notation, and more.
As a member of Sam Rivers’ ensembles of this time, as well as on his own, Joseph Daley was a vital member of this community. He has continued to push forward and expand on these principles of openness and community through his work as a composer, multiinstrumentalist, and bandleader. His Earth Tones Ensemble is a big band with six additional low-tone horns, a seven-member rhythm section, and four special guests. In addition, there is his Tuba Trio, which pays tribute to Sam Rivers by utilizing the same instrumentation as the band Mr. Daley was in. He also leads the Ebony Brass Quartet. All these ensembles will be utilized in a series of works celebrating life, and dedicated to his late wife, Wanda Daley. Mr. Daley collaborates regularly with Bill Cole, a musicologist and master of non-western instruments. Their most recent work was a duo piece, The Trayvon Martin Suite.
Mr. Daley has also contributed to his community as an educator. He taught for almost 40 years in the NYC and Englewood, NJ school systems.
In the spirit of celebration and communal gathering towards better outcomes for all, we were honored to have Mr. Daley here on the eve of his 75th Birthday Celebration at Roulette. He brought a couple of large tuba and french horn ensembles including musicians such as Earl McIntyre, Vincent Chancey, Shanyse Strickland, Jerome Harris, Jose Davila, and others.
You can watch the performance here:
