Joe Baione has a passion for all things jazz and continues to make a mark on the jazz scene with his powerful and energetic performances on the vibes. 

The relative rarity of vibraphonists in the history of jazz remains one of the musical genre’s true mysteries. Despite the natural beauty of the instrument’s sound and the historical importance and celebrated popularity of its most famous players – Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson and Bobby Hutcherson – comparatively few artists have chosen to make the vibraphone their primary means of expression. Fortunately, Joe Baione shows that the vibes and the mallets with which he plays them are in very good hands.

A native of the state of Delaware, Baione grew up in a jazz drenched musical environment. His father, the clarinetist-saxophonist-educator Jim Baione, is a graduate of Philadelphia’s prestigious Combs Conservatory of Music, where he earned both his B.A. and M.A. in Music Education Degrees and first met Joe’s musician mother, Barbara. The other musical members of the Baione family include Joe’s two older brothers, bassist Tom and guitarist Jimmy. Following in his father’s footsteps, Joe studied both music education and jazz performance, graduating from the University of Maryland E.S. in 1995.

In 2003, Joe had the good fortune to meet saxophonist/composer Benny Golson, when the jazz legend participated in a series of clinics and benefit concerts in Delaware. The two forged a lasting friendship and Golson became an important mentor to the vibraphonist, encouraging him to pursue his dual dream as a jazz musician. Golson’s appraisal of Baione as “a young man with vision who is able to realize the future today” is one that has inspired the young veteran vibraphonist to reach for the stars.

Joe Baione has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues in the world, too many to name, but some include Trinidad Jazz and Steelpan Festival, Rochester Int. Jazz Festival, Clearwater Jazz Holiday, Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, The Iridium NYC, The Kimmel Center, The Freeman State and the Rehoboth Autumn Jazz Festival, just to name a few.

This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events at www.DelawareScene.com.