Grammy-nominated recording artist and Emmy-nominated Music Director John Beasley’s music career spans three+ decades with credits that reads like a “who’s who” list in the music, Film, TV, and other entertainment worlds.
Some credits include writing music for Paramount, Disney, and MGM’s television shows including Cheers, Family Ties, Star Trek and Fame. He has also toured with Miles Davis band as his pianist, been a Music Director for Queen Latifah’s Travelin Lite 40-city US Tour, Dianne reeves band Many Rivers Civil Rights concert, and recently arranged on TV shows such as American Idol, America’s Got Talent, and Rhianna’s VMA performance is 2016.
Casa Romantica recently interviewed John Beasley, who will perform at Casa Romantica’s Casa Jazz Club on September 8, 2018 , in order to hear about his favorite influences, the importance of music education, and the future of jazz.
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CR: How would you characterize your style of playing?
JB: I would describe my musical style as exploratory and rhythmic drawing from decades of working in many bands and projects from gospel, funk, jazz, and commercial, TV/film music where you have to play everything from country to rock to classical.
CR: What is more appealing: the vastness of a stadium stage, or the intimacy of a small venue?
JB: Each has a different energy and connection level. What’s important is to feed off the audience, so it could be from a handful of people you can lock eyes with or the collective screams of people enjoying in a crowd.
CR: You’ve received 4 Grammy nominations for your big band project MONK’estra Vol 1 and Vol 2. What makes the music of Thelonious Monk such an appealing choice to revisit and re-arrange?
JB: Monk wrote approximately 70 songs in his lifetime. Last year, the world marked his centennial so when you think of his songs, some were written 70+ years ago. Yet when you listen, you realize how contemporary they are. He was well ahead of his time. The songs lend themselves to other grooves: Hip Hop, Afro-Cuban, etc so they are pliable both rhythmically and harmonically. And they are loaded with personality, so they are fun to play.
CR: Having led music clinics and workshops all over the world, what are some of the most important concepts students can take for their musical education?
JB: Be yourself, that’s what people and other musicians are drawn to.
CR: What does the future of jazz sound like?
JB: When you watch a jazz band on stage, you are seeing a bunch of people in a social gathering and having a conversation, so the future of jazz will sound like the conversation of the day. Each musician has been influenced by different styles of music, the standards, and they have their own voice, so they play the melting pot of that and may add what they want to say about the political, social, economic issues of the day. So, 10 years from now, it will be a mirror of life then. Jazz is a free spirit.
CR: What excites you most about performing at Casa Romantica?
JB: Casa Romantica is all about beauty with its gardens, historic buildings, the cliffs, the beaches, so my trio is excited to add a soundtrack to this beauty for this one evening.
Casa Jazz Club: John Beasley will be taking place on September 8, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the Main Salon. Wine and cheese plates will be provided for guests. Click here to buy tickets.