Jon Cleary

British pianist and composer Jon Cleary commands respect as a session musician and sideman whose credits encompass rock, blues, and soul figures including Bonnie Raitt, D'Angelo, Maria Muldaur, Taj Mahal, and Eric Clapton.

Although he took up the guitar first, Cleary began playing at five and assembled his initial band by fifteen. Immersed in blues, jazz, and soul recordings from childhood, his particular fascination with New Orleans blues and jazz prompted him to cross the Atlantic once he completed art school.

After reaching the city, Cleary gravitated toward the Maple Leaf, one of its storied venues. The club’s proprietor hired him to paint the building’s exterior, compensating him solely with free entry and beer. Absorbing the surroundings, he recognized blues piano as his true direction and devoted daily hours to practice on the instrument available in his residence.

His return to London led to the creation of a traditional six-piece New Orleans R&B ensemble that earned him notice as a skilled and courteous player. The pull of the city proved stronger, however, and he relocated once more, securing club engagements both as a featured performer and accompanist alongside blues musicians such as Smokey Johnson, James Singleton, and George Porter. During one such appearance, Walter “Wolfman” Washington heard him and, impressed, invited Cleary into his own group. Two years with Washington deepened Cleary’s grasp of nuanced R&B and blues while introducing Latin elements to his approach.

Cleary then began composing original songs and assembled the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, enlisting bassist Cornell Williams, guitarist Derwin “Big D” Perkins from the Friendly Travelers gospel ensemble, and drummer Jeffrey “Jellybean” Alexander. Just as the band gained standing among New Orleans’ premier groups, visa complications forced Cleary’s immediate departure for the United Kingdom.

While refining his expanded conception of the blues back in England, he received an invitation from producer John Porter, another Englishman who had witnessed Cleary’s Maple Leaf performances and wished to connect him with a wider audience. The ensuing work included sessions with Taj Mahal, an appearance at the Hollywood Athletic Club, and a collaboration with Porter that yielded Cleary’s 1999 solo debut, Moonburn. Three years elapsed before his next recording; in 2002 the Absolute Monster Gentlemen delivered their self-titled album, followed by Pin Your Spin in 2004.

Constant touring across the United States and Europe never kept Cleary from New Orleans for long. In an unexpected development, the metal imprint Megaforce released the live recording Mo Hippa! in 2008.

Four years later Cleary appeared as himself among the cast of the short-lived HBO series Treme. His subsequent album, Occapella!, arrived in 2012 and highlighted his singing alongside his renowned piano work. Maintaining a schedule of performances at home, throughout the American South, and at select international festivals, Cleary issued GoGo Juice on Thirty Tigers in summer 2015. John Porter produced the set, which was captured at Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana.