John Esposito (pianist)
John Esposito ( born March 4, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York City ) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and music producer. He also plays drums.
Life and work
John Esposito grew up in the Hudson Valley; his grandfather was briefly violinist and woodwinds with Paul Whiteman. As a teenager he played in blues bands and studied at the State University of New York at Albany composition; in his work this time, he integrated influences of John Cage, Robert Ashley, Frederic Rzewski, and Elliott Carter. Finally, he turned to improvisation and jazz piano; after college he played as the house pianist at the Gemini Jazz Cafe in Albany, inter alia, with JR Monte Rose and Nick Brignola. In 1980 he moved to New York City where he worked in the quartet of saxophonist Arthur Rhames five years. In 1985 he founded his own quintet Second Sight, in which, inter alia, played Dave Douglas; 1986 appeared the album Flying with the Comet with Esposito's own compositions. He also participated in recordings of Rashied Ali, Dave Douglas, Franklin Kiermyer, Dave Holland, Eric Person ( More Tales to Tell, 1995), Arthur Rhames ( Live At Soundscape ), Sam Rivers, Pharoah Sanders and John Stubblefield.
Since the 1990s, he teaches at Bard College jazz piano, drums, repertory, composition and harmony. In 2006, Esposito his label SunJump, appeared on the music of his own band projects and recordings by other musicians such as Mitch Kessler, Sangeeta Michael Berardi and previously unreleased sessions from Arthur Rhames. He works with a quintet of Eric Person (saxophone), Greg Glassman (trumpet ), Kenny Davis ( bass) and Pete O'Brien (drums ) and a trio of Ira Coleman (bass) and Pete O'Brien, with whom he a series of recordings presented.
Disco Graphical Notes
- Tiger Tracks (1987 )
- The Blue People ( SunJump, 2006)
- Down Blue Marlin Road ( SunJump, 2006)
- Inyo ( SunJump, 2008)
- Orisha ( SunJump, 2010)