Joe Delaney Returns to The Roadhouse Cafe!

Joe Delaney at The Roadhouse Ft. Myers piano bar

[Ed. note: the final night for this season for the Joe Delaney Trio will be Monday, March 12. See the post on this evening including special guest artist, saxophonist Bob Bowlby]

The Roadhouse Cafe in Ft. Myers, Florida is pleased to announce the return of the gifted and highly original jazz pianist Joe Delaney. Joe will lead a trio of jazz veterans—bassist Don Mopsick and drummer Richie Ianuzzi—beginning in November. The Joe Delaney Trio will play every Monday night, set aside as “Jazz Mondays” in our piano bar lounge.

Listen to “Loro” composed by Egberto Gizmonti. 

The kickoff event for Jazz Mondays will be a “Welcome Back, Joe!” party at the Roadhouse on Monday, November 7 beginning at 7:00 PM. You can reserve your table for this event now—call 239-415-4375 or email us at roadhousecafe@comcast.net

Listen to “It’s You or No One” composed by Jule Styne and Sammy Kahn. 

Joe Delaney was born in Brockton, Mass. and grew up in Whitman, just south of Boston. Joe’s father Ed Delaney was also a pianist. Joe started playing at age 3, learning by ear from records, family parties and his father’s band rehearsals. Joe says, “I picked it up and still play about 90% by ear.”

“Costa Rica” by Joe Delaney 

Joe started formal instruction and began performing in pubic at the age of 5. Joe says, “Once we started little kid tunes, I’d hear the teacher play it and put about 15 minutes into my lesson and just mimic it back.” He was soon spending hours a day learning popular tunes and George Shearing hits he heard during the band rehearsals.

“My Romance” by Rodgers and Hart 

Later, Joe studied briefly with Kurt Wenzel, Charlie Banocos, Kenny Barron and Berklee piano professor Paul Schmeling. During his formative years Joe absorbed the musical influences of George Shearing, Erroll Garner, Ahmad Jamal, Ramsey Lewis, Sergio Mendes, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bill Evans, Dave McKenna, Oscar Peterson and Herbie Hancock.

Dave McKenna, Joe Delaney, Tony Bennett, unknown. Bennett has long been associated with the Cape Cod area and is a fan of the Roadhouse Cafe Hyannis.

Joe first met the great Cape Cod jazz pianist Dave McKenna at the age of 12. They became life-long musical and personal friends. Joe says, “Even now there isn’t a time that I sit down to play solo piano that I don’t think of Dave.” McKenna said about Joe Delaney, “He gets better every time I hear him and he’s been around since he was barely a teenager.”

“Goodbye, Jobim” by Joe Delaney 

Delaney worked in the Boston and Cape Cod areas until 1981, when he moved to the US Virgin Islands, where he worked for most of the ’80s.

“Confirmation” by Charlie Parker 

From 1989-2009 Joe returned to New England, based in Cape Cod, mostly in Hyannis. He had a long association with reedman Dick Johnson, who led the Artie Shaw Orchestra during this period. Joe travelled with the Shaw Orchestra for six years, sometimes playing alongside trumpet great Lou Colombo. While not touring with the Shaw band or his own groups (on 5 continents), Delaney played extended residencies in virtually every live music venue on Cape Cod. He spent 7 years leading the house trio at the Black Cat Tavern at Hyannis Harbor, now owned and operated by David Colombo.

“Valse Africano” by Joe Delaney 

Joe has recorded many jazz albums and CDs both as leader and sideman, as well as commercial jingles (for Pepsi, Beck’s Beer, among others), and movie soundtracks (Mrs. Worthington’s Party). For his 2001 trio release, Take 1, Joe is accompanied by bassist Laird Boles and drummer Steve Langone.
Thanks, Joe, for giving us permission to post all the tracks here for us to enjoy!

“Joao” by Joe Delaney 

“Round Midnight” by Thelonius Monk 

“Joy and Sadness” by Joe Delaney 

“Joe’s Break” by Joe Delaney