The Guitar Player's Resource
Jojo & Acoustic Shoes' CD-R release of songs is a new collection of jazz/blues numbers featuring, of course, Jojo on guitar. On first listen, you might not even call their music blues, however, there is no denying that there is something bluesy about the way they approach their tunes. Take the two songs "After Dawn" and "The Time We Spent Together". You'll find an upbeat arrangement not uncommon to jazz, but not regularly heard in blues circles. Yet, you'll detect a blues sensibility throughout, and especially when the guitar (or harmonica) is turned up. The songs on the CD-R are mostly instrumental, which is a good thing - the use of vocals on a song here and there will have you pressing "fast forward very quickly. Good work from Jojo and bandmates Giancarlo Schiavon, Alberto Lazzarin, Claudio Caresia and guest Luca Palmarin.
Jojo first got on stage with his electric guitar for the first time in 1969. In those days, he played pop music, but soon began to develop a love for the Blues. In 1976, Jojo established his first blues band, the Blueshoes. The search for new musical landscapes led him to establish the Acoustic Shoes with the same broad-minded musicians. The band began a quest for new ways to play blues, using jazz harmonies and patterns, with a nod toward World Music, as well as incorporating innovative rhythms, from the old Beguin to modern Acid, without losing contact with the blues.
The band will continue into the new millennium playing their special brand of jazz/blues for audiences in Italy and in any other location that will have them.
Giorgio Menon
Italy
Web site: www.jojo-and.it