The sounds of New Orleans funk, soul, rhythm and blues will fill the Dawn Lipson Canalside Stage on Wednesday, June 1, when New Orleans pianist, singer and songwriter, Jon Cleary takes the stage with his band – The Absolute Monster Gentlemen.
Cleary says, “It’s a killer band of musicians that represent different aspects of New Orleans music, playing loose and soulful R&B. I open the show with a few songs, then as a band we get a New Orleans groove on.”
Cleary’s music is rooted in 100 years of tradition, in New Orleans style music, bringing together soul, funk, R&B Jamaican, Reggae, Afro-Cuban, and more. The syncopation of the music is what Cleary says defines the style of playing New Orleans music. Musical syncopation is described as, “The displacement of regular accents associated with given metrical patterns, resulting in a disruption of the listener’s expectations and the arousal of a desire for the reestablishment of metric normality; hence the characteristic “forward drive” of highly syncopated music.”
Looking for an adventure after graduating school, Cleary arrived in New Orleans where he was warmly embraced by the NOLA music community. Starting out as a guitar player, he soon moved over to piano. He considers the piano a percussion instrument, like a drum, and that is how he plays keyboards.
Musical influences date back to his hometown, the British village of Cranbrook, Kent. Cleary comes from a musical family. When he was growing up, his uncle would return from his travels to America, especially NOLA, bringing back with him records he bought in the US. “My mother was fond of the New Orleans music and the records she listened to, and the records that my uncle brought home, had a profound impact on me. I really have my whole family to thank for the inspiration they provided by just gathering and playing music together. My grandmother said in the 40s music was an important part of family life and what they used to get through the hard times.”
Not only does Cleary play the music of NOLA, he has a deep, rich knowledge of the history of the city and the music. During COVID, while everyone was on lock down and live music was on hiatus, Cleary hosted the live “Quarantini Happy Hour World Tour” on Tuesday Nights, online through Facebook and YouTube. The hour consisted of Cleary playing songs by request, answering questions from those tuning in, and sharing his personal stories from his years as a musician in New Orleans, where he has worked with music legends. Cleary also shared records from his extensive personal collection of music, treasures he found during his travels all over the world. Works by musicians who inspired and delighted him throughout his more than 40 years in music. Cleary said, “I am always engaged in the business of trying to figure out music, that’s what I do. I spend every waking moment thinking about music, even when I’m asleep I am thinking about it.”
During quarantine Cleary also hosted a Saturday morning one hour live session where he taught viewers how to play the piano. Called “One Finger at a Time,” Cleary taught the way he learned. “I taught myself to play piano, so I have that ability to teach, the way I learned.”
In some ways the pandemic was a “blessing in disguise” as Cleary put it. “I live my life on the road, and I love it, I’ve been doing it all my life. During the pandemic it was good to take a break for two years. I was able to sleep in my own bed, being grounded and having the time to work on my music was good. There is really nothing like the feeling now, of getting back on the road, and playing music again.”
For more information on Jon Cleary visit www.joncleary.com
Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen will take the stage at 7PM, Wednesday, June 1, at the Dawn Lipson Canalside Stage, 1200 Edgewood Avenue, Rochester.
For complete details and to purchase tickets visit jccrochester.org/events/jon-cleary/
