International Archives For The Jazz Organ (IAJO) - The Jazz Organ Scene USA

Jon Cleary

Jon's (* 1962 in Cranbrook/Great Britain) love and affinity for New Orleans music goes back to the rural British village of Cranbrook, Kent, where he was raised in a musical family. His father taught him the rudiments as soon as he was big enough to reach around the neck of his guitar. When his uncle, musician Johnny Johnson, returned from a sojourn in New Orleans in the early 70s and brought back two suitcases of rare and obscure local 45s, which allowed the adolescent Cleary to pursue his study of R&B in great depth, with special attention to the New Orleans sound that increasingly captivated him.

As soon as he was old enough to leave school in 1980 Cleary took off for the Crescent City. When his flight touched down, a taxi took him straight to the Maple Leaf, a funky uptown bar which then featured such New Orleans piano legends as Roosevelt Sykes and James Booker. Jon got a job painting the club, and lived a few doors down for a time, allowing him unlimited free access to all the great New Orleans music performed within. One night when James Booker didnt show up, the clubs manager insisted that Jon gets up and play before the paying customers demanded a refund. Thrust suddenly into the spotlight Jon was ready, willing and able to play his first paying gig in New Orleans and although he had come to town as a guitarist, this debut was also the first step of his career as a pianist.

Soon Cleary reached the existential crossroads of either devoting his life to the citys music, or returning to England. Cleary chose New Orleans, and before long he began to land sideman gigs with the venerable likes of such New Orleans R&B legends (and his childhood heroes) as guitarists Snooks Eaglin, and Earl "Trick Bag" King, and singers Johnny Adams, and Jessie Hill.

By 1989, Jon had recorded his first album of eight including the new GoGo Juice. His increasingly high-profile performances revealed a level of proficient versatility that led to recording sessions and international touring work in an appropriately wide stylistic range in the bands of Taj Mahal, John Scofield, Dr. John and, most notably, Bonnie Raitt. As a songwriter, he has written and co-written songs with and for Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal and the decade that he spent working with Raitt inspired her to unabashedly dub Cleary "the ninth wonder of the world."

Jon left Bonnie Raitts band in 2009 to concentrate on his own music. And now, 35 years since he arrived in New Orleans, he has made an eloquent, definitive and future-classic artistic statement. "Funk is the ethnic folk music of New Orleans", Jon says, "and I wanted to infuse GoGo Juice with a sound that was true to the city I love. It's the kind of record that could only be made in New Orleans."

Out Of The Dark Rounder Records Rounder CD 2068 released 1988 recorded October 1987 in Metairie, LA/USA	Walter "Wolfman" Washington, guitar, vocals Bill "Foots" Samuel, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax Tom Fitzpatrick, tenor sax Ernie Gautreau, trombone James Spells, trumpet Terry Tullos, trumpet, flugelhorn Jon Cleary, organ, keyboards, piano Kermit "Champ" Young, Hammond B-3 organ Jack Cruz, bass Wilbert "Junkyard Dog" Arnold, drums, vocals
Big Ol' Fiya Bullseye Blues BB9505 released 1990 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	John Mooney, guitar, piano Jon Cleary, piano, Hammond B-3 organ David Ranson, bass Kenneth Blevins, drums, tambourine
Where It's At Zensor ZS 118 released 1991 recorded April/June 1991 in New York, NY/USA	Wendell Holmes, guitar, vocals Sherman Holmes, bass, vocals Bob Malach, tenor sax Anders Gaardmand, tenor sax, baritone sax Dan Levin, trombone Tim Ouimette, trumpet Larry Etkin, trumpet Gib Wharton, guitar Jon Cleary, Hammond organ, piano Popsy Dixon, drums, percussion, vocals
Take Your Drunken Ass Home Mardi Gras Records MG 1059 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	Big Al Carson, vocals Jerry Embree, tenor sax Emile Hall, tenor sax Steve Blailock, guitar Harry Sterling, guitar Jon Cleary, clavinet, organ, piano Frederick Sanders, organ, piano Warner Williams, piano, synthesizer Patrick Williams, harmonica Erving Charles, bass Harold Scott, bass Gerald French, drums Raymond Weber, drums
Silver Lining Capitol Records 5318162 recorded in Los Angeles, CA/USA	Bonnie Raitt, slide guitar, vocals Steve Berlin, baritone sax Freebo, tuba Andy Abad, guitar Mike Dean, guitar, keyboards James "Hutch" Hutchinson, guitar Habib Koité, guitar George Marinelli, guitar, mandolin Roy Rogers, slide guitar Tommy Sims, guitar Jon Cleary, clavinet, Moog synthesizer, Hammond organ, piano, vocals Mitchell Froom, clavinet, marxophone, Moog synthesizer, organ, piano Steve Nider, keyboards Benmont Tench, piano Kélétigui Diabaté, balafon James "Hutch" Hutchinson, bass John Cregar, drums Ricky Fataar, drums, percussion Gary Gold, drums, snare Alex Acuña, congas, talking drum Souleymane Ann, calabash Pete Thomas, percussion
No Borders To The Blues no label recorded in Laurel, MS; Ridgeland, MS; Hattiesburg, MS; New Orleans, LA/USA	Vasti Jackson, keyboards, bass, percussion, vocals Jerry Embry, sax Jerry Jumonville, sax Fred Kemp, sax Eric Traub, sax Mark Mullins, trombone Rick Trolsen, trombone Barney Floyd, trumpet Tracy Griffin, trumpet Stacy Cole, trumpet Keith Vinet, keyboards Mark Liuzza, keyboards Sammy Berfect, organ Jon Cleary, organ, Wurlitzer John Gros, organ Tony Hall, bass Alonzo "Pookie" Johnson, bass George Porter jr., bass Wilbert "Junkyard Dog" Arnold, drums George Lawrence, drums
Big Ol' Fiya LML Records LML 06428 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	John Mooney, guitar, piano, percussion, vocals Jon Cleary, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, bass Mark Bingham, bass Jeff Sarli, bass Bernard "Bunchy" Johnson, drums Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, congas, percussion
Winds Of Louisiana Pepper Cake PEC 2009-2 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	Rudy Rotta, guitar, vocals Jon Cleary, guitar, Hammond organ, piano Anders Osborne, guitar, Hammond organ, percussion Nick Daniels, bass Chad Cromwell, drums
Piety Street EmArcy 00602517911369 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	John Scofield, guitar Jon Cleary, Hammond B-3 organ, piano, vocals George Porter jr., bass Ricky Fataar, drums Shannon Powell, drums, tambourine John Boutté, vocals
Live at Jazzfest Berlin 2009 bootleg recorded live 08 November 2009 at Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin/Germany	John Scofield, guitar Jon Cleary, Hammond B-3 organ, vocals George Porter jr., bass Terence Higgins, drums
Ain't Got No Troubles Yellow Dog Records YDOG 21716 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	Eden Brent, piano, vocals Emile Hall, alto sax Jeff Albert, trombone Tracy Griffin, trumpet Colin Linden, guitar Jon Cleary, Hammond B-3 organ George Porter jr., bass Bryan Owings, drums
Dyna-Mite FHQ Records FHQ008 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	Jon Cleary, Hammond B-3 organ, vocals, piano, guitar, bass, mandolin Damian Hand, tenor sax Roderick Paulin, tenor sax Ryan Zoidis, tenor sax Lee Badau, baritone sax Craig Klein, trombone Charlie Halloran, trombone Eric Bloom, trumpet Leo Nocentelli, guitar Andrew Block, guitar Shane Theriot, guitar Nigel Hall, Hammond B-3 organ Calvin Turner, bass, percussion Jamison Ross, drums AJ Hall, percussion
My Future Is My Past Anti- 7595-2 recorded in New Orleans, LA/USA	Walter "Wolfman" Washington, guitar, vocals Jon Cleary, organ, piano Ivan Neville, Fender Rhodes, keyboards Steven De Troy, piano David Torkanowsky, piano Mike Dillon, marimba, vibes, bass, percussion James Singleton, bass Stanton Moore, drums Irma Thomas, vocals

contact:	info@impactartist.com
homepage:	www.joncleary.com
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