JOE GRAZIOSI is a New York City based saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
From packed festivals in Italy, shores as far away as Tasmania, and historic jazz venues in New York City, saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader and award-winning composer Joe Graziosi has performed his music all around the world.
Graziosi’s versatility as a multi-instrumentalist and proficiency in many styles of music has led to him performing with such artists as Peter Erskine, Robin Eubanks, Alex Sipiagin, Gil Goldstein, Anthony Wonsey, Kenyatta Beasley, Bill Holman, Pierre Piscitelli, Brad Whiteley, Andy Bianco, Ernie Krivda, The Cab Calloway Orchestra, Vaughn Weister’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, Norbert Leo Butz, The Drifters, the Nelson Brothers, Matthew Morrison, Rumer Willis, Isabela Moner, Justin Guarini, Atomic Funk Project, The Zou, The Vindys, and many more.
Graziosi is a two-time winner of the Ruth Friscoe Prize for Jazz Composition, an award presented to a student to recognize creative prowess in the form of a contemporary jazz composition for big band. His pieces “It’s Your Move”(2008) and “The Judge”(2010) were both winners of the award and scholarship. Graziosi, though now mainly composing for his quartet, often uses singable, folk-like melodies masked with sophisticated harmonies to achieve his personal writing voice.
Wind section for the 2018 National Tour of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical”
Along with his jazz career, Graziosi has spent an equal amount of time performing in orchestras for musicals, most recently as part of the 2018 and 2019 national tours of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Musical.” Other shows Graziosi has worked on during his career are “Chicago”, “Rent”, “Little Shop of Horrors”, “Mame”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Jekyll & Hyde”, “Titanic”, “Parade”, “Matthew McConaughey vs. the Devil”, “Company”, “Beauty & The Beast”, and many more.
In 2013, Graziosi performed on sax and keyboards with Tony Award winning Broadway and TV actor Norbert Leo Butz as part of “The Angel Band Project”, a St. Louis based nonprofit organization whose mission is to help “survivors of sexual violence through music.” This collaboration produced the album “An Evening with Norbert Leo Butz”, released on Broadway Records.
More recently, in 2018 Joe performed as part of “From Broadway With Love: Parkland”, a benefit concert for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The night paid tribute to the lives of the students and faculty who were the victims of gun violence, and also featured original work from some of the MSD high school students. The project included Broadway stars such as Deborah Cox, Matthew Morrison, Justin Guarini, Christy Altomare, and more working alongside the students to bring their songs to life at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL.
When he’s not busy performing or touring, Graziosi teaches privately all around NYC and over Skype to students all over the world. He has also taught masterclasses on music theory, improvisation, and transcription to aspiring high school jazz and college students.
Originally from Youngstown, Ohio, Graziosi graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s of Music, Jazz Studies. He’s been lucky enough to have a chance to study with wonderful teachers including Tim Harker, Shawn “Thunder” Wallace, Tom Ruggieri, the late Mark Flugge, the late Sam D’Angelo, Steve Enos, Douglas Pierce, and Dr. Ted McDaniel. He has since travelled the world while working for a time as Musical Director for Royal Caribbean’s “Brilliance of the Seas” and on other ocean liners. Most importantly, Joe is a life-long avid Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Guardians fan.
Joe Graziosi is available for concert bookings, lecture-demonstrations, master classes, and ensemble coaching. For further info, please email Joe at joe.graziosi@gmail.com.