John Betsch

John Betsch ( born October 8, 1945 in Jacksonville ( Florida)) is an American jazz drummer and composer.

Betsch comes from a family of musicians and started with 9 years of playing the drums. His studies at Fisk University and the Berklee School of Music, he graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with Max Roach. He played during this time mostly in organ trios, and laid in 1974 with his John Betsch Society first album "Earth Blossom" before. In 1975, he moved to New York City where he played with Marion Brown, Paul Jeffrey, Max Roach, Jeanne Lee and Henry Threadgill. Between 1977 and 1979 he belonged to the band of Abdullah Ibrahim, 1980-1982 to a quartet of Archie Shepp. Subsequently he was a member of the Quartet of Marty Cook. Since 1985 he has lived in Europe, where he played in the group of Jim Pepper and the Quartet of Mal Waldron, but also in the band his wife, the French pianist Claudine François. In the 1990s he worked in the group of Steve Lacy, but also with Özay fencing and in a trio with Elvira plenary and Peter Kowald. He did with Marilyn Crispell, Klaus König, Billy Bang, Sathima Benjamin, Uli Lenz, Sarah Morrow and Simon Nabatov More shots.

• Jazz drummer
• Composer (Jazz)
• American musician
• Born in 1945
• Man