Jon Cleary
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
Some people are born into the New Orleans musical tradition and others come from across the world to immerse themselves in it. Jon Cleary is an Englishman who has spent the last 30 years in the Crescent City playing at Tipitina's and The Maple Leaf Bar and now personifies what the New Orleans musical scene is all about. Cleary and his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, play a mix of Blues, Jazz, Funk and R&B that the city is known for. The newest album, GoGo Juice, is very good, but I'd start with Mo Hippa, the live album.
Artist's Info
Website: joncleary.com
See him live: Tour dates
Record company: FHQ
Genre: R&B, Blues, Jazz, Funk
If you like this, look into: Dumpstaphunk, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Marcia Ball
Bio (from the artist's website)
Beyond Cleary’s considerable skills as a tunesmith he is equally renowned around the globe as an accomplished keyboardist and guitarist, and a deeply soulful vocalist. Cleary’s 35 years of intensive hands-on work on the Crescent City scene has made him a respected peer of such New Orleans R&B icons as Dr. John and Allen Toussaint. Toussaint, in fact, took time from his busy schedule to write most of the horn arrangements for GoGo Juice — thus bringing symmetry to Cleary’s recording of an entire album of Toussaint songs, entitled Occapella, which garnered rave reviews in 2012. In addition to the Toussaint touch, GoGo Juice bursts, full flavor, with expert accompaniment by some of New Orleans’ top session men — including guitarist Shane Theriot, fellow keyboardist and vocalist Nigel Hall, and the Dirty Dozen horns — along with members of Cleary’s band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
GOGO JUICE (2015): GoGo Juice is the new album from one of New Orleans' premier musical ambassadors, Jon Cleary. Made in collaboration with multi-Grammy winning producer John Porter (B.B. King, Keb Mo, Ryan Adams, Los Lonely Boys) each of the carefully crafted songs is a delicate balance of the smooth and the rough — instantly memorable hooks over a set of sophisticated and soulful arrangements. The tracks were recorded over several days deep in the bayou country of Louisiana and subsequently honed in his studio in the old Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. A blend of musical intelligence with direct, accessible pop simplicity that draws from tradition and yet is distinctively separate from it, these songs represent the many aspects of Cleary's musical personality as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter.
Others
Alligator Lips & Dirty Rice (1994)
Moonburn (1999)
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen (2002)
Pin Your Spin (2004)
Do Not Disturb (EP) (2007)
Mo Hippa (Live) (2008)
Occapella (2012)
