Still Payin’ Dues

Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe present a cool evening of blues at Ellarslie.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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JOE ZOOK


   Joe Zook is the kind of music teacher you never forget. He’s one of those teachers who makes you excited and curious about music and maybe even want to try it yourself as a career when you grow up. He’s been an educator in the Trenton school district for 19 years, teaching everything from Beethoven to the blues.
   "It’s a lot of fun turning these inner city kids on to Jimi Hendrix," Mr. Zook says. "I’ll bring in a video and they can’t believe what they’re seeing. They say, ‘He looks like Prince.’ I even brought in some country and western — the good stuff. They loved Hank Williams Sr. By the end of the class they were singing along to ‘Hey Good Lookin’.’ It’s great to be able to use all this in the classroom.
   "But they really respond when I teach blues and jazz because that’s their heritage," he adds. "It’s funny, when I play Muddy Waters and B.B. King, the little ones will say, ‘My grandmom has a record that sounds like that.’ Once I get them to learn a little about blues scales they can really express themselves on their own instruments."
   Blues has been Mr. Zook’s bread and butter for longer than he cares to remember. Born in Trenton and raised in Hamilton, he started his own band in the mid-’60s at the age of 15 and has been rocking ever since.
   "I like any kind of music but I prefer blues above all else, it’s so cool," he says.
   The Trenton Museum Society will present an evening of blues at the Trenton City Museum in Cadwalader Park July 27. Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe will rock the Ellarslie Mansion with a combination of traditional blues favorites and originals. Mr. Zook will be joined by Bill Holt on bass, Rick Lawton on drums, Angelo Di Braccio on sax, James Cheadle on piano and Tony Buford on harmonica.
   It’s part of the Museum Society’s concert series which continues in the fall with the Eric Mintel Quartet Sept. 28 and classical pianist Marion Zarzeczna Oct. 21. This is the third year Mr. Zook and friends have participated.
   "At Ellarslie, we can have as many as seven or eight guys join us," he says. "One year we had a really nice blues jam with Doris Spears and Georgie Bonds from Philadelphia. We must have had 35 (guest) artists. When I taught at the King Middle School, I even had some of my kids perform."
   Mr. Zook, whose real name is Zuccarello, has been around long enough to remember when the music scene in and around Trenton was really lively.
   "We played all the old places, most of which are gone," Mr. Zook says. "There was the Pine Tavern and Windsor Manor on Route 130. There’s a tree growing through the middle of that place now. We played at Billy D’s Rumrunner. Some of the places were kind of on the wrong side of the tracks, but great for blues.
   "There aren’t too many places like that where you can play the blues anymore, although there’s lots of interest in the blues," he continues. "There used to be more mom and pop places but now they’re all franchises. We still play in Levittown at A.J.’s — the Bucks County Blues Society sponsors that. But now it’s mostly festivals and outdoor things. We can’t do the four-hour sets anymore."
   Nationally known and nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, Mr. Zook and Blues Deluxe are members of the Bucks County Blues Society, PhillyBlues.com, Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Society and the Diamond State Blues Society.
   With two CDs under his belt, Mr. Zook is planning to undertake a third this summer, featuring pianist Mr. Cheadle and renowned blues harmonica player Steve Guyger.
   "It’ll be more of an acoustic project than the others, maybe with some gospel too," Mr. Zook says. "I sometimes do ‘Amazing Grace’ in concert, I’ve done it in all different styles. This will be a real challenge because it’s different from the stuff I usually do. I’ve been getting into gospel because I’ve been playing more in churches. Sometimes I go to this church in Ewing where the reverend also plays blues guitar. I taught his daughter, so once in a while I (make a guest appearance) over there."
   Mr. Zook’s main orchestral instrument was string bass. He studied at then-Trenton State College with the late Stan Austin. He says the Beatles motivated him to start his own band. A few years later he got caught up in blues-based Southern rock, playing along to the Allman Brothers. He reflects that, ironically, it was British bands that led him to traditional American blues.
   "There was also Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, guys like that," Mr. Zook says. "Around about ’67 and ’68 I heard them play, and read interviews where they were always talking about B.B. King or Muddy Waters. So I went out and looked for their albums and they led me to the old masters. It’s funny how English musicians brought American kids back to American music."
Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe will perform at the Trenton City Museum at the Ellarslie Mansion, Cadwalader Park, Trenton, July 27, 7 p.m. as part of the Trenton Museum Society Concert Series. Tickets cost $15, $10 for Museum Society members. (609) 989-1191; www.ellarslie.com. Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe on the Web: www.geocities.com/joezookblues/