Joe Gallivan was born in Rochester, New York. He began his professional career in Miami as a television producer and later joined a number of local bands, including the Latin band Eduardo Chavez, the big bands Art Mooney, Charley Spivak and the big bands Charley Spivak and Art Mooney. Later, he worked with trios that accompanied well-known singers and musicians such as Dakota Staton and Dizzy Gillespie, as well comedians like Lord Buckley, Lennie Bruce and Harry the Hipster. He studied music at the University of Miami, as well as with Bower Murphy and other private teachers. Joe began his recording career in Boston with Bob Freedman and Bill Berry. The next year, Joe recorded a single with Sonny Criss and the Modern Jazz Orchestra, with Kenny Drew as piano. The Miami recording was originally released in England and France, and was re-released in 2001 on CD. Joe moved to New York in 1961 and joined Donald Byrd’s orchestra, which featured Don Ellis, John Coles and Eddie Bert. Joe returned to Miami in 1962 and was the conductor for “Music USA”. He also started a collaboration with Charles Austin, a multi-reed player. This led to many albums, tours, and festival appearances over the past three decades. Igor Stravinsky wrote a recommendation letter to CBS for their music. They played at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival after Jimi Hendrix, and before Mothers of Invention. Joe was also involved with N.R.B.Q. in 1968. Joe also worked with N.R.B.Q. (the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet), and organized A Train of Thought. Stan Goldstein and Joe built most of the equipment. It was made up of some legendary musicians like Charles Austin, Ira Sullivan, and Paul Cohen. The band supported Marvin Gaye and Chuck Berry at the second Miami Pop Festival. Joe returned to New York City in 1969 after 18 months of freelancing. He also created five improvisational film scores, which Warner Brothers used to hire him to. In 1972, Larry Young invited Joe to join his group, with whom he had worked for almost three years. Gil Evans saw Joe perform at the Newport Jazz Festival along with Elvin Jones, and invited him back to his orchestra. Joe remained in his band for more than two years. Joe left America in 1976 to travel and record with the group Hopper, Dean Tippet, Gallivan. He recorded with Kenny Wheeler, Elton Dean, and Miraslov Vitous in 1978. In Japan, he toured with Kenny Kirkland and John Scofield. Joe traveled extensively from 1979 to 1983, and worked with Charles Austin in Europe, Nicholas in Hawaii, and Butch Morris in Paris. He also appeared in many electronic music concerts in France, New York City, and other places. Joe started a series for Hessicher Rundfunk in Frankfurt that included Albert Mangelsdorf and Heinz Sauer. He was also a member of a duo with John Schroeder, guitarist. Joe moved to London in 1984 and founded the avant-garde band Soldiers of the Road. It featured Elton Dean and Evan Parker as well as Marcio Mattos and later Ashley Slater and Paul Rutherford. The ensemble recorded eight pieces and performed at many London jazz festivals. Innocence, a critically-acclaimed CD was released in 1992. Joe recorded with many other ensembles for the BBC and toured extensively performing across Europe. Joe moved to Hawaii in 1989. For five years, he led a trio at Pacific O’s, Lahaina Maui, along with pianist Brian Cuomo. He also performed with Art Off The Wall at Honolulu Museum of Contemporary Art 1998, 1999 and 2001, which featured actor Jeff Gere, sculptor/instrument maker/woodwind musician Steve Rosenthal. Joe started his own record label in Hawaii, newjazz.com. The label’s debut venture, Love Cry Want (a 1972 recording by Love Cry Want (Joe Gallivan), Larry Young, Nicholas, and Jimmy Molnieri), received rave reviews and was selected by The Wire (Europe’s leading electronic and improvised music publication, based in London). It also became one of seven Albums Of The Year by Proteus. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Fourth Edition (1999) included a section that gave excellent reviews to three Joe Gallivan CDs, and a section that praised the group and CD Love Cry Want. Joe recorded three Hawaii recordings with Brian Cuomo: Night Vision (a duet), Origin of Man (a trio with Elton Dean), which received the highest rating in the Penguin Guide to Jazz On CD, and Surrender (a trio featuring San Francisco-based singer Jackie Ryan). Joe took his trio, Brian Cuomo, Jackie Ryan, and Joe to Ronnie Scott’s in April 1999. They played every night to standing-room audiences. They returned to Ronnie Scott’s in March 2000 to perform to a packed audience for two more weeks. During this time, they recorded a live album with Ronnie Scott’s. This was their third consecutive engagement and was released during the last two weeks of April 2001. Joe was featured in two European CDs in 1999. Des Del Silenci by Ektal Ensemble (Joe Gallivan and Marti Perramon), Benet Palet. Abdeljalil Kddsi. Robert Merryman. Moulay M’Hammedennoji) received outstanding reviews in Spanish media. The group performed at the Mercat Des Flors, Barcelona Jazz Festival 1999, and the 2001 Festival Schnittpunkte Der Musik Rudersdorf, Austria 2001. Electronic/Electric/Electronic, by the trio Powerfield (Joe Gallivan, Gary Smith and Pat Thomas), was included twice in less than one year in a compilation CD on the cover of The Wire (titled Wiretapper), prompting a three page interview with Joe to appear in the September 1999 issue of The Wire. In 1999, Electronic/Electric/Electronic was chosen as one of twenty Essential Recordings of the Year (for 1999) by The Wire. The trio recorded a program on BBC Radio in 2000. Gary Smith and Joe Gallivan also released a self-titled CD, which was also selected as an Essential Recording for the Year (2000) by The Wire. The Powerfield trio has released a second CD and an ensemble CD. This CD includes a quartet of electronic processed horns, played by soldiers of the Road such as Elton Dean and Guy Barker. Joe’s band, The Rainforest Initiative, headlined the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival at the Knitting Factory in New York City on June 3, 2000. There was standing room only and a standing ovation. The piece opened with a Hawaiian chanter Lei’ohu and Mahalani Poepoe invoking the forest. It was followed by a sextet consisting of saxophonists Evan Parker and Elton Dean, Charles Austin, John McMinn and bassist Marcio Matos, as well as Joe Gallivan on drums/percussion. Since November 2000, a video of the New York performance can be seen on Black Entertainment Television Jazz Network. Joe gave a class on communication in musical performance (how musicians communicate while playing) at Knitting Factory in October 2000. This video was made for classrooms. Joe performed with Marti Perramon’s Ektal Ensemble on August 3rd and 4.
