John Beasley

An original artist with a highly expressive and personal style, veteran pianist-composer-arranger John Beasley’s ninth album Positootly! has just earned a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group.

With a music career spanning three decades, Beasley’s credits reads like a who’s who list in the music world. He has performed/recorded with illustrious artists including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Thad Jones, Hubert Laws, Diane Reeves, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Bobby Hutcherson, Wallace Roney, James Moody, Billy Hart, Buster Williams, Chris Potter, John Patittuci, Carmen Lundy, Marc Turner, Christian McBride, Kenny Garrett, Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez, Kenny Rankin, Brian Lynch; took the lead as Musical Director for Grammy Award winning Steely Dan, Queen Latifah and AR Rahman; arranges for popular television shows American Idol and The Tonight Show; played on box office hits Wall-E, Austin Powers; and composed for TV series Star Trek, Cheers and Fame.

As a solo recording artist, Beasley’s compositions, arrangements and playing are inventive, explorative and exquisitely realized expanding musical thought, transcending limitations and genres while maintaining his unique and unmistakable style not only in jazz, but blues, classical and world music as well. His nine solo recordings illustrate how adept he is at writing both lyrically, rhythmically and across boundaries.