JJ Moscato

When JJ was first starting out, he was at the legendary Lafayette Tap Room in Buffalo NY. He was there to see an already famous Shameka Copeland. During one of her last songs of the night, "Let the Good Times Roll", she danced her way up to JJ in the crowd and pulled him up on stage with her. He sang the shout chorus with her as some members of the crowd tried to get her attention. They were trying to tell her that the random kid she had brought up on stage was a keyboard player too. In mid song she had JJ jump on the keyboards and finish that tune. She must have been impressed, because she invited him to stay up for a couple more songs.

Since the age of 16, year after year JJ Moscato has been rated as one of the Top Keyboard players around and has been honored with a “Muddy Award” by Blues Beat Magazine for “Most Promising New Local Talent” and Buffalo Music Awards, “Top Blues Keyboardist” '07,'08,'09,'11. In 2010, JJ was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Achievement. He's a groove player first. He can cut loose with the best of them, screaming on the Hammond or rattling the piano, but it’s his attention to the groove that has made him one of Buffalo’s most sought after session and live players.

JJ has toured and recorded with JSP artist and Rochester, NY native Chris Beard. Chris's father Joe Beard would also use JJ during this time and as it turns out, the Beards' were family friends of the Copelands, something JJ and Shameka talked about back stage after their meeting years ago. He was instrumental in the arranging of the tunes for Chris’ first album “Bar Walkin’” and Chris’ second album on JSP, “Born to Play the Blues”, features JJ’s “Delicious organ solos” and, “…a mature contemporary feel to the organ and piano” (Art Tipaldi).

Keyboard playing aside, there is something else that JJ brings to the table. While attending the University of Rochester, JJ helped found the nationally renowned a cappela group, The Midnight Ramblers. He toured, recorded and was a featured writer, arranger and soloist for the group until he graduated.

Blue Avenue is a breath of fresh air in a market that is saturated with a never ending supply of Guitar slinging blues bands. Sonny Mayo is a player, but his rhythm complimenting the Keys, all nicely layered over a smooth laid down groove by Mike Phelps and Jim Moscato, makes this above all else a true band. It's not at all a one man show. With an emphasis on instrumental and vocal harmony and paying homage to the classic "Buffalo Sound", JJ Moscato & Blue Avenue is a blues band unlike most you'll here today.