John Esposito (pianist)
John Esposito | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Esposito |
| Born | c. 1953 |
| Origin |  Brooklyn, New York USA |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
John Esposito (born 1953) is an American jazz pianist of advanced bebop tendencies. Known as a composer for his own groups and a versatile sideman capable of all styles from stride piano to free improvisation, he is a pianist highly influenced by modernism (Bartók in particular), and capable of playing off of several rhythmic and harmonic levels at once. As manifested in music for his quintet (with Eric Person on sax, Greg Glassman on trumpet, Kenny Davis on bass, and Pete O'Brien on drums) and trio (with Ira Coleman on bass and Pete O'Brien on drums), Esposito's compositions are couched in an expansion of bebop harmony, often using rhythmic schemes of complex and subtle metric modulation. Some of his pieces are transformations of jazz standards rendered unrecognizable by such techniques as running the chord progression backwards, or using a complex system of chord substitutions.
Born in Brooklyn, Esposito was raised in the Hudson Valley in a family that included policemen but also artists and musicians. His grandfather, a violin maker, was a jazz violinist and reed player, and played in the 1920s with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Esposito attended the State University of New York at Albany. Majoring in musical composition, he drew influences from visiting composers who came through, including John Cage, Robert Ashley, Frederic Rzewski, and Elliott Carter.[1] At the same time, however, he found himself drawn more to improvisation, and, despite a rather late start, took up jazz piano. (As a teenager, he had already played harmonica in a blues band.) In 1980 Esposito moved to New York City, where he worked with saxophonist Arthur Rhames, a neglected, almost forgotten figure who died of AIDS-related illness at 32 (1989), and who some nevertheless feel was the successor to John Coltrane's mantle as the greatest creative performer on that instrument.[2]
Esposito played in the Arthur Rhames Quartet for five years, and in 1987 launched his own jazz quintet called Second Sight, with Dave Douglas, Jeff Marx, Allen Murphy, Jeff Siegel, and Fred Berryhill. Notables he's performed with are Thurman Barker, Nick Brignola, Roy Campbell, Santi Debriano, Carter Jefferson, John Lindberg, Erica Lindsay, Joe Lovano, J. R. Monterose, David "Fathead" Newman, and Roswell Rudd. He has also recorded with Rashied Ali, Dave Douglas, Dave Holland, Franklin Kiermyer, Jeff Marx, Eric Person, Arthur Rhames, Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders, Michael Stuart, and John Stubblefield among others. In the 1990s he gradually (first as adjunct faculty and later as visiting professor) joined the faculty of Bard College, where he teaches jazz piano, literature, and harmony. (One of his theory students was fellow faculty member Kyle Gann). In 2006 Esposito formed his own record label SunJump in order to bring out recordings of his own groups and historical recordings in his archive.[3]
1980 -Steve Geraci - Aliqae Song w/ Arthur Rhames, John Stubblefield, Kit Potter, Charlie Knicely, Rashied Ali, Jeff Siegel, Frederick Berryhill Beat City - released 2009 - Sunjump 1981 - Arthur Rhames Trio - Live from Soundscape w/Jeff Siegel
DIW
1986 - Second Sight - Flying With The Comet w/ Dave Douglas, Jeff Marx, Allen Murphy, Jeff Siegel, Frederick Berryhill released 2008 - Sunjump 1987 - Second Sight - Tiger Tracks w/ Dave Douglas, Jeff Marx, Allen Murphy, Jeff Siegel, Frederick Berryhill
released 2020 - Sunjump
1992 - Ryan Kisor - Minor Mutiny (composition only: The Invisible) w/ Ravi Coltrane, Lonnie Plaxico, Jeff Siegel
Columbia
1993 - Franklin Kiermyer - In The House of My Fathers w/ John Stubblefield, Dave Douglas, Anthony Cox, John Rojak, Chris Gekker, Dave Braynard,
Dan Grabois, Eric St. Laurent, Tom Chess
Konnex
1994- Pharoah Sanders/ Franklin Kiermyer - Solomon’s Daughter
w/ Drew Gress
Evidence 1996 - Franklin Kiermyer - Kairos w/ Sam Rivers, Eric Person, and Michael Stuart, Dom Richards, Drew Gress
Evidence
1996 - Sangeeta Michael Berardi - Earthship w/ James Finn, Hilliard Greene, Peter O'Brien
released 2008 - Sunjump
1996 - Sangeeta Michael Berardi - Calling Coltrane w/ James Finn, Hilliard Greene, Peter O'Brien
released 2012 - Sunjump
1996 - Eric Person - More Tales To Tell
w/ Dave Holland, Calvin Jones, James Finn, Michael Rabinowitz, Cary DeNigris, Gene Jackson
Soulnote 1997 - John Esposito - Book Of Five Rings w/ Jayna Nelson, Matt Schulman, Eric Person, James Finn, Tony Underwood, Hilliard Greene, Peter O’Brien
released 2008 - Sunjump
1999 - Jayna Nelson - Bloom Of Creation w/ Matt Schulman, Francois Moutin, Peter O’Brien
released 2009 - Sunjump
1999 - Franklin Kiermyer- Sanctification w/ Michael Stuart, Fima Ephron Sunship 2000 - Jeff Marx - Great Unknown
(composition only: Yellow) w/ Michael Jeffrey Stevens, Santi DeBriano, Jeff Siegel
Naugual
2000 - Eric Person - Extra Pressure w/ Carlos Henderson, E.J. Strickland Distinction 2003 - John Esposito - Down Blue Marlin Road w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
released 2006 - Sunjump
2003 - John Esposito -The Blue People w/ Greg Glassman, Eric Person, Kenny Davis, Peter O’Brien
released 2006 - Sunjump
2003 - Eric Person - Live at Big Sur w/ Kenny Davis, Peter O’Brien Distinction 2003 - Jeff Marx - Treading Air....... Breathing Fire w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien Soluna 2004 - Garry Hagberg - Quartets w/Garry Hagberg, Thomas Horstmann guitars; John Esposito, piano; Tom Bergeron, Kenny Davis,
Mark Schneider, German Klaiber, bass; Peter O´Brien, Alan Tapinian, Matthias Daneck, drums.
Released 2013 Factory Outlet Records
2005 - Rick Altman - Total Immersion w/ Mike DeMicco, Jay Anderson, Steve Rust, Jerry Gibbs
Silver Star
2005 - Eric Person - Reflections w/ Dave Douglas, Kenny Davis, Mark Johnson
Distinction
2005 - Jeff Marx/ Jeff Siegel - Dreamstuff (composition only - Blues for John Stubblefield, Little Elliot,Tumble, Interiors)
Ayler
2009 - Mitch Kessler - Erratica
w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
Sunjump 2009 - Marx/ Siegel/ Esposito - Inyo w/ Jeff Marx, Jeff Siegel Sunjump 2010 - John Esposito - Orisha w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien Sunjump 2010 - Mitch Kessler - Der Erlkonig w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien released 2011 - Sunjump 2011 - Marx/ Siegel/ Esposito - Tahrir w/ Jeff Marx, Jeff Siegel
released 2012 - Sunjump
2011 - Sangeeta Michael Berardi -The Mr P Sessions
w/ Rosi Hertlein, Kendra Shank, Mitch Kessler, John Esposito, Hilliard Green, Peter O’Brien
released 2013 - Sunjump
2014 - John Esposito Quintet - Lyra w/ Greg Glassman, Stacey Dillard, Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
2018 Sunjump Records
2015 - Eric Person - Untitled CD w/ Adam Armstrong, Shinosuke Takahashi
upcoming release - Distinction Records
2019 - Annie Addington - In A Midnight Wind
Annie Addington, vocals w/Greg Glassman, trumpet, John Esposito, piano,
Dwayne Burno, bass, Peter O'Brien, drums
released 2019 - Annie Addington
2023 - John Esposito Sextet: Laura w/ Chris Pasin, Eric Person, Phil Allen, Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
2024 - Sunjump
2024 - John Esposito Trio: Blues For Outlaw Hearts w/ Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
2024 - Sunjump
2024 - John Esposito & A Book Of Five Rings: Vulcan w/ Laura Steele, Rosi Hertlein, Greg Glassman, Stacy Dillard, Mitch Kessler, Emma Alabaster, Hilliard Greene, Peter O’Brien
2024 - Sunjump
2024 - Jeff Marx: Treading Air...Breathing Fire w/ John Esposito, Ira Coleman, Peter O’Brien
2024 - Sunjump
2024 - Arthur Rhames: How Great You Are w/ John Esposito, Otto Gardner, Jeff Siegel, Hal Miller
2024 - Sunjump
References[edit]
- ^ John Esposito bio via Mobility Music Archived May 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ For instance, The Dynamic Duo Remember Trane & Bird reviewed by Derek Taylor Archived 2006-10-17 at the Wayback Machine Accessed March 27, 2007
- ^ Bard College music faculty bio Archived 2006-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
External links[edit]
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