August 31, 2010

Dear friends,

I just found out the shocking news that Bob Bowen, an incredible musician, visual artist, husband, and father, passed away last night from injuries sustained in a horrible biking accident. He played bass with Stratospheerius and my Jazz Trio and can be heard on the Headspace and Exuberance CD's. We shared incredible musical moments together on stage and in the studio that I will treasure for the rest of my life. He will be missed by all who love him dearly. Donations to help his wife and children can be made on paypal at forbobbyandstella@gmail.com.

Also, all proceeds from sales of our new Exuberance CD, which feature some of Bob’s compositions and his beautiful playing, will go to his family as well.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deninzontrio

Thanks,
-Joe

August 30, 2010

Joe Deninzon/Stratospheerius
September Schedule

I’m sitting here by the Mediterranean Sea on the Spanish Island of Mallorca as I write this. Staring out at the bright blue water surrounded by beautiful mountains and cliffs, sipping a glass of Tunel and smoking a Cohiba. No, I’m not on tour. Hard as it is to believe, I actually take vacations. And no, I did not pack my fiddle with me. I’m being a complete bum. But this, of course, is the calm before the storm. I’m trying to save my energy for the onslaught of shows coming up in September. Here are all the dirty details…

Stratospheerius Southern Tour

After a long hiatus from the lower United States, Stratospheerius is once again crossing the Mason-Dixon line to give folks in North Carolina and Tennessee their much-needed Stratos fix. Here are all the details:

The “Effective” String Player clinic at the Electric Violin Shop

The first event on the tour will be a clinic at the Electric Violin Shop in Durham, NC. I have given this clinic at the IAJE conference, and recently at the Mark Oconnor String Camp in New York. The clinic will be held at the Electric Violin Shop, the only store in the world specializing strictly in electric bowed string instruments! Here is a description:

Electric violinist Joe Deninzon and Stratospheerius, will show you how to use effects pedals to fuel your creativity to improvise and compose music. Learning play hot licks and maneuver your way through chord changes is crucial, but mastering the art of using loops and effects to color your music is a whole other skill. This clinic explores how to move beyond the notes to express yourself on a deeper level.

Thursday, September 9th, 4:30 P.M.
$10 admission
The Electric Violin Shop
5314 Nc Hwy 55. Suite 102
Durham, NC 27713

Stratospheerius Shows

Thursday, September 9th, 10:00 P.M.
ALL AGES. NO COVER!
Shakedown Street
2500 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27061

Friday, September 10th, 9:00 P.M.
$5 cover
Hookah Joe’s
(828) 252-1522
50 Commerce Street
Asheville, NC 28801
(THIS SHOW IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. PLEASE CHECK STRATOSPHEERIUS.COM FOR UPDATED INFO)

Saturday, September 11th, 8:00 P.M.
Headlining the Riverfront Nights Festival
Greenlife Stage
Chattanooga, TN 37405
ALL AGES. FREE ADMISSION!

Friday, Sept 17th, 10:00 P.M.
$8 cover
The Rox Box
6080 Ridge Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19019
(215) 487-9914

Other Projects

Joe Deninzon Jazz Group

My new acoustic band had a great tour this past winter, and has just released a new CD, entitled Exuberance. The disc asks the question, “What if Stephane Grappelli was alive today and joined Radiohead?”

Having played electric violin for many years and blasting crazy rock and fusion for Stratospheerius, I wanted to get back in touch with my jazz roots as well as my Gypsy influences, but Rock n Roll kept rearing its ugly head, so what we ended up with is an acoustic jazz group playing some standards and originals in the styles of Grappelli and Django Reinhardt, but throwing in covers by Radiohead, Alice in Chains, and even Steely Dan and giving them the Gypsy Jazz treatment. Check it out at: CDBaby.com and JoeDeninzon.com

Sometimes, the “group” is just a duo with myself and guitarist Steve Benson, sometimes it’s a trio with bassist Bob Bowen, and if those that book us are really loaded, we wine, dine, and fly in drummer Lucianna Padmore. Here are some upcoming shows:

Thursday, September 2nd 7:30 P.M.
Performing duo with guitarist Steve Benson, and special guest Robert Bonfiglio
Grand Canyon Music Festival
Grand Canyon, AZ 86023
Shrine of the Ages at the South Rim

This will be the 4th year of the Grand Canyon School of Rock, the program I co-founded where we teach a bunch of local high school kids in the Grand Canyon village how to play rock n roll. This year I will be working with guitarist Steve Benson and look forward to another mind blowing experience!

Thursday, September 23rd, 8:30 P.M.
Long Beach Jazz Festival
Long Beach, NY 11561
Joe Deninzon Trio +1
Joe Deninzon-violin
Lucianna Padmore-drums
Steve Benson-guitar
Bob Bowen-bass

Thursday, October 14th, 10 P.M.
CD Release Party for Joe Deninzon Trio “Exuberance”
P&G Bar
380 Columbus Ave. @ 78th St.
New York, NY 10024
NO COVER!!!

Joe Deninzon Joins Sweet Plantain

I am honored to join the Sweet Plantain String Quartet. This is a truly unique group out of NYC that mixes Classical, Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Afro Cuban music, and is comprised of some of the most gifted musicians in the New York scene: cellist David Gotay (Billy Joel, Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin), violist Orlando Wells (Harry Connick Jr, John Legend, Kanye West), and violinist Eddie Venegas (Tito Puente, Marc Anthony, John Fadis, Joe Zawinul)). Read all about the band and hear the music at SweetPlantain.com or myspace.com/sweetplantain. How I’m going to juggle Stratospheerius, the Jazz group, and all my other projects is beyond me, but I’ll figure it out. This group is too special to turn down! We have tons of performances booked into 2011, but here are the upcoming shows this month:

Sept 25, 7:30 P.M.
ARTSwego Series
Waterman Theatre, Tyler Hall
Oswego, NY
Collaboration with Sol Y Canto

Sunday, Sept 26th, 3:00-5:00 P.M.
The Egg Center for the Performing Arts
PO Box 2065 • Albany, NY
Empire State Plaza • Albany, New York 12220
Collaboration with Sol Y Canto

Friday, October 01, 8:00 P.M.-9:30 P.M.
North Central College in Naperville, IL
30 North Brainard Street
Naperville, IL 60540
Collaboration with Sol Y Canto

Reflections on the Mark O'Connor String Camp

This past July, I had the privilege of being the rock teacher at the Mark O'Connor String Camp in New York. I can honestly say that this was one of the greatest teaching experiences of my life. I want to publicly thank Mark, who is a musical hero of mine, for inviting me. It was so inspiring meeting students from all over the world. Some of my classes, especially the “”Rhythm Violin” and “Fiddlefunk” class, were packed to the point that people were standing in the hall with their fiddles trying to be involved. As far as the faculty, I couldn’t have been in better company. It was great hanging out with and hearing some of the most incredible violinists on the planet, like my good friend Christian Howes, Rachel Barton Pine, and meeting and jamming with the great Klezmer master Yale Strom. This is an experience I will cherish for a long time to come.

And now, back to my vacation. See ya later!