bandleader

John Beasley’s artistic side of his brain cannot be confined to one thing. Following his own muse, he explores a wide musical palette resulting in forming various bands to play a melange of genres, but always with a deep groove you can fall and escape into.

El Trio: Afro-Cuban fusion

  • Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández

  • José Gola

  • John Beasley

CHUCHO VALDES: “El Trio is a dream threesome of some of my favorite musicians, who have been in my various bands: Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, one of the most versatile and in-demand drummers in the history of Cuban music and jazz; José Gola, bassist, who can adapt to any style; and John Beasley, a genius pianist, keyboardist, orchestrator, innovator, whose imagination takes me to another galaxy. He wrote part of the arrangements for my work "La Creación, which made me so happy.

Negro, Gola, Beasley is an ace trinity of incredible improvisational creativity. They each have such a level of imagination, great interplay, and natural talent. El Trio's sound is organic, contemporary, and supernova. Take a deep listen and see where it takes you.”

piano & sax
John Beasley & Magnus Lindgren

Butterfly Effect

CHRIS POTTER:
”John Beasley and Magnus Lindgren bring immense artistry and musical wisdom to the table, both as instrumentalists and composers, and the warmth and friendship they share shines through and makes this duo album a very soul-affirming set of music.”

BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Eleven original compositions show the spontaneity and alchemy in Beasley & Lindgren’s interactions -arrangements they wrote in real-time.

MONK’estra Big Band

John Beasley leads a smashing 15-piece big band, MONK’estra, which has performed more than 80 concerts around the world. The feel and sound of MONK’estra captures the spirit of Thelonious Monk’s singular style with its off-beat melodies, humor, strange beauty and unbounded swing in fresh arrangements that have an eye to the future infused with contemporary harmonies, unstoppable grooves, flavored with hints of New Orleans, hip-hop, Afro-Cuban, and a contagious sense of fun.

“Some of the most mesmerizing big band music of recent memory.” -International Review of Music

QUINCY JONES: Thelonious Monk was one of a kind, and so is John Beasley.

🎄Deck the Halls 🎄I’ll Be Home for Christmas 🎄12 days of Xmas
🎄Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy ❄️Silent Night
🎄Away in the Manger ❄️Greensleeves. 🥂Auld Lang Syne

Top Jazz Christmas Playlist (2022)
Apple Music Album of the Week (Dec 2022) -Jazz FM (UK)
“Christmas music that is not annoying. Beautiful stuff!” -Radio Agora (Austria)

Christian Euman, Edwin Livingston, John Beasley, featuring special guest artists

Holidaze🎄Jazz Trio

Various size ensembles include:
Terreon Gully, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Reuben Rogers, Ben Williams, Bob Sheppard, Erena Terakubo, Devin Daniels, Francisco Torres, Brian Lynch, Rashawn Ross, Gregoire Maret, to name a few.

playing originals and reimagined favorites

John Beasley Circle