Joe Brent

Contributed Profile

I am a professional doubler in New York City. I currently play in a Broadway show entitled Jolson and Co., in which I play violin, guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, bones, and spoons. I also play in Grachan Moncur’s band (jazz), and various other improvisatory bands. I got interested in the bones after viewing the Lark in the Morning web site, and being a “weird” instrument collector (and wannabe percussionist), I soon added the bones to my repertoire, and am now hooked! They are bone bones, and I’ve been applying them to the jazz, latin, and funk rhythms I frequently play in. My favorite application for them is in a clave rhythm – one hand plays a soft 4-on-the-floor, while  your other hand plays a louder clave, rumba, or tango pattern. Mostly I use the spoons in funk contexts, because you can get a nice backbeat snap with wooden spoons.