Joe Stilgoe
Young and highly original, Joe Stilgoe is "the new face of Britain's music's answer to the new face of music's jazz" (Jonathan Grafton). Joe has been writing songs ever since he was allowed to use pens. He now writes at a prolific rate, with recent additions to his catalogue being the catchy Nothing Could Be Finer and the morose Is There Any Room For Me?. Joe writes with a humour that is obvious in I Really Shouldn't Be Allowed To Speak, and more subtle in the beautiful Falling On Love. In live performance, Joe mixes in innovative arrangements of great standards like Surrey With A Fringe On Top, I Wish I Were In Love Again and more obscure nuggets like Shine On Your Shoes and Love Potion No. 9.
His style, although unique, is reminiscent of the great pianist/singers like Buddy Greco, Mel Torme, Nat King Cole and Harry Connick Jr. As a young jazz pianist/singer, the 26-year old Joe is inevitably compared to Jamie Cullum, but says, "we're quite different really - he's sold a million records."
Currently Joe fronts The Joe Stilgoe Trio, playing all over London They have recently played at the BBC jazz club, The Generations Jazz Festival , Blackheath Concert Halls and The Stables, Wavendon. As a solo artist he has been resident at The Groucho Club, The Bluebird, The Dorchester and The Melia White House and has played in venues including The Royal Festival Hall, Pizza On The Park, Pizza Express, The Spice of Life, Café Royal and at Ronnie Scott's last summer with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He had the great pleasure of singing and playing with John Dankworth's band for Radio 2's Live At The Stables series in April this year (www.bbc.co.uk/radio2) He has played with many of the country's finest musicians, including Ian Shaw, Herbie Flowers, Jacqui Dankqworth, Winston Clifford, Andy Hamill, Gilad Atzmon, Alan Ganley and Mark Nightingale.
Joe began his professional career on cruise ships after studying music at Southampton University - his show on the high seas so impressed the president of the Manhattan Association of Cabaret that he arranged for Joe to make his New York debut at Don't Tell Mama in the winter of 2003. Cruise ships offered many opportunities for Joe, but sadly he now has problems with balance and dolphins. In New York he earned praise from critics: "Many a musician twice his age might listen with a mixture of admiration and envy"- Peter Leavy, Cabaret Scenes; as well as from other cabaret cognoscenti, including the booker of the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room who offered him a future engagement, and sophisticated singer/pianist Steve Ross, who said "I am completely knocked out by him in every way…it's been a long time since I heard somebody play that kind of piano, along with his charm and his wonderful singing."
Joe's talent is far-ranging as a pianist, singer and songwriter. The son of TV personality and West End lyricist Richard Stilgoe and opera singer Annabel Hunt, Joe played piano by ear at the age of 5, but professes to be "a late-blooming prodigy - I was rubbish until I was 18." Joe recently furthered his musical education at Trinity College of Music, where he studied with Nick Weldon on piano and Anton Browne for singing. In addition to jazz performance, Joe fronts the funk band Miami Tunder. He has also worked as a musical director, arranger, composer and actor; he appeared in a recent production of Into The Woods at Greenwich Theatre, playing a prince bedecked in alarming green stockings. "Sadly there's no call for pianists in tights."
