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Pianist/composer Joe Bongiorno recently released his third CD, "Somewhere Within," and I think it's his best album so far. I like it so much that I gave it a "Reviewer's Pick" on the Solo Piano Publications website! We were planning to do a live interview when I went to a Whisperings concert in Portland, Oregon three years ago, but a family emergency canceled Joe's appearance at the concert, which was disappointing for both of us. The release of a new album is always a good time to get some extra exposure, so here we are! Joe is currently based near Seattle, WA, so I'm hoping we can finally meet in the near-future.
Joe Bongiorno was born and raised in Chicago. He has two sisters, one older and one younger, and a younger brother. All four kids took piano lessons, but Joe says his younger sister, Catherine, was the most talented. Joe's mother, Madeleine, was a stay-at-home mom while the kids were growing up, but she and Joe's older sister now own a business designing and making polar fleece clothes and blankets. Joe's dad, Joe Sr., is a psychiatrist in Chicago.
KP: How old were you when you started playing the piano?
JB: I had four years of classical training starting when I was seven, but I never really took to it. I loved playing the piano, but was bored by the scales. I loved to noodle around and figure out my favorite melodies by ear, but classical music never really moved me. Sports became my driving interest when I was eleven, so I quit piano lessons. My father told me, "someday you'll thank me," referring to the lessons I so gladly abandoned! There was always a piano in the house so I continued to play regularly.
KP: Were you encouraged to improvise or compose by your piano teacher?
JB: Unfortunately no. I might have stuck with lessons had I been given the freedom to play the music I wanted to play. My daughter, Taylor, came to me a few months back (at age fifteen), wanting to learn piano. She was mesmerized and solely motivated by the idea of playing the "Titanic Theme." [KP groans!] We bought the easy version of the sheet music, took her to a teacher, and asked that she be taught beginning piano and this piece at the same time. Taylor plays all the time now! I wouldn't have it any other way. Music is meant to be enjoyed, not forced.
KP: I couldn't agree more, but I think I had more than twenty students working on "Titanic" when it was so popular, and can hardly stand it now! Don't tell Taylor that, though!
JB: I had to learn it, too. A few years back, everyone wanted it played at their weddings. I just got Taylor the sheet music to "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, another one of her favorites. I am looking forward to hearing a new tune!
KP: Do you play other instruments?
JB: I tried taking up the guitar when I was nineteen, but it drove me crazy because it's not as "linear" as the keyboard. Playing the synth allowed me to play many other "virtual" instruments, so I reverted back to the keys full-time.
KP: How old were you when you wrote your first song?
JB: Sixteen. I was in the basement one night, playing the family Everett upright, and I came up with a melody that I kept playing over and over. Catherine came running downstairs saying, "That's cool! What song is that?" The rest is history!
KP: Did you play with any rock bands?
JB: When I was in high school, I met a couple of guys who were starting a rock band and needed a keyboard player. I had saved about $600 from lawn mowing jobs that summer, so I went out and bought a synthesizer. I started playing along with the radio and my LP's - Van Halen, Rush, U2, Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, etc. I tried out for the band and made it, and had a blast playing dances and parties in high school. At that time, I also started improvising dreamy music on my synth. My buddies used to laugh at the stuff I would come up with. They would yawn dramatically, pretending to fall asleep standing. Pretty funny stuff!
KP: When did you start playing professionally?
JB: Besides the high school gigs, I was about twenty-one when I was first hired to play new age synth music at a wedding (in 1991). Since then, I have played at more than two hundred weddings!
KP: Who or what are your biggest musical influences?
JB: Besides my father and grandfather (both very talented pianists),
Yanni was a big early influence for me. The melodies in his early music (the late 80's) were so memorable. I actually bumped into him in a grocery store parking lot when he was living in this area, probably fifteen years ago!
KP: His first several albums were mind-boggling because they were so different, and his early concerts with a small band were just amazing. Seeing violinists Charlie Bisharat and Karen Briggs dueling onstage was some of the most incredible musicianship I've ever seen, and it always looked like all of the musicians were having an absolute blast. It's just
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