JOHN BEASLEY
GRAMMY-NOMINEE
PIANIST / COMPOSER / ARRANGER / MUSIC DIRECTOR
“Beasley, the one-time keyboardist for Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, reflects a variety of generational influences, incorporating the emphatic chordal clusters of Herbie Hancock, the rhythmic quirkiness of Monk and the lush intelligence of Art Tatum into a highly refined personal voice.” --LA Times
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An original artist with a highly expressive and personal style, John Beasley, a veteran pianist, composer, and arranger, earned a 2011 Grammy nomination for his ninth album Positootly! (Best Jazz Instrumental Album
With a music career spanning three decades, Beasley’s credits reads like a who’s who in the music world. He has performed/recorded with illustrious artists, including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Thad Jones, Hubert Laws, Dianne Reeves, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Wallace Roney, James Moody, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, and Kenny Rankin; took the lead as Music Director for Grammy Award winners Steely Dan, Queen Latifah, Carly Simon (DVD) and AR Rahman’s tours; played on box office hits Wall-E, Shawshank Redemption, Finding Nemo; composed for TV series Star Trek, Cheers and Fame; and arranged music or was Music Director for reality shows American Idol and Search for the next Pussycat Doll, including arranging for Ricky Minor productions and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
His talents are truly multi-dimensional as displayed in his recent projects, namely: arranging for Dianne Reeves’ performance at the Lincoln Center; hosting six concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Disney Center on a series called Jazz meets the Orchestra; arranging Dexter Gordon songs for the Luckman Jazz Orchestra; composing for a feature length documentary; recording a concert DVD with Mike Stern and Lee Ritenour in Japan and A.R. Rahman in South Africa; and performing music from his GRAMMY-nominated CD, Positootly! with his band in the U.S. and Europe.
As a solo recording artist, Beasley’s compositions, arrangements and playing are inventive, explorative and exquisitely realized expanding musical thought, transcending limitations and genres while maintaining his unique and unmistakable style not only in jazz, but blues, classical and world music as well. His nine solo recordings illustrate how adept he is at writing both lyrically, rhythmically and across boundaries.
Performance Links
Positootly! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1h8LWQReiE
Bedtime Voyage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCEw_04Ikuc
Steely Dan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocHM0n75DI
James Brown Hollywood Bowl - Last Concert 2006 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHp-Zfl9Bas
GRAMMY nomination: Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Positootly! (Resonance Records)
Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bennie Maupin, James Genus,
Brian Lynch, Munyungo Jackson, John Beasley
Positootly! showcases Beasley's original, propulsive, multi-layered compositions from funk and soul to bop, bossa nova, and nuevo tango along with three choice covers.
Jazz Times
John is truly an amazing pianist, imaginative composer, creative improviser and arranger. And with Positootly he created an album that people will look back as one of the first Jazz classic albums of the 21th century.
Jazz Police
One of the most energetic recordings of the past year. “Positootly!” accurately
sums the spirit of this Grammy-nominated disc.
All Music.com 4 ½ stars
“This recording is his finest effort, and stands proudly alongside his previous recording, a fine tribute to Herbie Hancock.”
LaJazz.com
“Positootly! is pure art…fasten your seatbelts…Beasley is masterful on keys.”
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