The scent of stale draught and the low-hanging humidity of a Windsor basement usually signal a punk set or a folk singer with a chip on their shoulder. But this week, the Phog Lounge floorboards are bracing for something more sophisticated, even if it carries a Chicago-bred grit. The Joe Policastro Trio is crossing the border for an intimate hit on Thursday, Nov. 15. They are here to push their latest record, *Screen Sounds*, while giving the locals a first taste of unreleased material that hasn't yet been pressed to wax.
Windsor is often an afterthought for touring units heading through the Midwest. Most bands hit Detroit and turn back toward Chicago or head east to Toronto. But Policastro is playing a different game. He is hunting for rooms that have teeth.
“We’ve been going to Detroit for a few years playing places like the Jazz Cafe or Cliff Bell's and I was looking for something in the Canadian area and happened upon the Phog Lounge,” Policastro tells 519 Magazine.
The choice of venue is a deliberate pivot away from the velvet-curtain stiffness of traditional jazz rooms. Phog is a room where the audience is close enough to see the callouses on a bassist’s fingers. It is a space for risk.
“I like to look for venues that are not just jazz. Phog has this really eclectic mix of music and we made an effort to put it back on the tour this time around,” he says.
There is a specific kind of arrogance required to take the theme from *The Young and the Restless* and treat it with the same reverence as a Thelonious Monk standard. It shouldn't work. On paper, it looks like a gimmick designed for a lounge act at a failing casino. But the Joe Policastro Trio manages to strip these melodies of their soap opera kitsch and find the skeletal beauty underneath.
The trio has spent years refining this specific alchemy across three distinct albums. Their 2013 debut, *West Side Story Suite*, was a dense, three-man interrogation of Leonard Bernstein’s classic. It was followed by 2016’s *POPS!*, which saw them dismantling radio hits from the 60s through the 90s.
But *Screen Sounds*, their 2017 offering, is where the identity of the group really crystallized. They take on the sprawling synth-heavy atmospheres of *Blade Runner* and the noir dread of *The Godfather*. They even tackle the haunting, coffee-and-cherry-pie vibes of *Twin Peaks*.
“The thing I'm most proud of is that the band has a really defined sound,” Policastro explains.
The thing I'm most proud of is that the band has a really defined sound. So whether we're playing Thelonious Monk or the theme to the Young and the Restless or an original song, these things sit naturally next to each other and on paper that sounds ridiculous, but it's true.
This isn't just a collection of covers. It is a sonic signature that remains consistent regardless of the source material. Whether they are playing a gritty TV theme or a high-art jazz composition, the texture remains theirs.
“So whether we're playing Thelonious Monk or the theme to The Young and the Restless or an original song, these things sit naturally next to each other and on paper that sounds ridiculous, but it's true,” he says.
The trio functions as a single organism. Policastro provides the anchor on bass, while Dave Miller’s guitar work avoids the typical flashy scales of the genre. Miller plays with a textural awareness that feels more cinematic than academic. And then there is Mikel Avery on drums, a percussionist who treats a kit like a foley artist treats a soundstage.
“It's almost at this point like the material’s incidental. I think when people see the group, and as long as you keep an open mind, you’ll realize that this is absolutely a jazz group,” Policastro says.
The "incidental" nature of the songs is the key. They aren't playing the hits to please the crowd. They are using the hits as a common language to have a much deeper, more complex conversation.
“We hope that the music translates well, we hope the people enjoy the experience and we hope they like having material they've heard presented to them in another context being reinterpreted,” he adds.
The pedigree here is undeniable. Policastro has logged time with Pat Boone, a gig that requires a certain level of professional polish. But his bandmates bring the avant-garde edge. Miller and Avery have shared stages with Chicago luminaries like Rob Mazurek and international heavyweights like Clarice Assad.
They have even performed for President Barack Obama. That is the kind of line on a resume that usually gets you into the high-end theatres. But here they are, setting up in a Windsor bar with $10 tickets.
As sidemen, the members have supported a dizzying array of talent. Policastro has worked with Phil Woods, Jeff Hamilton and Diane Schuur. Miller has toured with Patricia Barber. Avery has collaborated with Joshua Abrams and Theaster Gates.
But they keep coming back to this trio. It is clearly the primary vehicle for their own artistic impulses. It is where they get to be the protagonists.
Watching this group in a small room like Phog is a different beast than seeing them on a festival stage. You can hear the physical wood of the bass and the metallic shimmer of the cymbals without the interference of a massive PA system. It is raw.
And that rawness is what makes their interpretations of pop culture themes so effective. They take the polished, over-produced sounds of Hollywood and turn them into something human and flawed.
The Windsor show on Thursday is a rare opportunity to catch this level of musicianship in a space that doesn't require a dress code. It is Chicago jazz with its sleeves rolled up.
The Joe Policastro Trio takes the Phog Lounge stage at 8pm. The cover is a mere $10, which is a bargain for a group that has played for world leaders. You can find more details at www.phoglounge.com.
Don't expect a quiet night of background music. This is a group that demands you pay attention to the subtext. And in a room as intimate as Phog, you won't have much of a choice.
