John Esposito

New York State native and pianist John Esposito attended SUNY Albany as a composition major before spending several years there as the house pianist at the Gemini Jazz cafe. There he worked with J.R. Monterose and Nick Brignola in addition to leading his own jazz group before moving to New York City in 1980. Among the artists he’s worked with there include Pharoah Sanders, Dave Holland, Roswell Rudd, Dave Douglas, Franklin Kiermyer and Eric Person, among others. Today Esposito is on the faculty of Bard College where he teaches ensembles, jazz theory, repertory, and advanced composition techniques classes.

Recorded in 2003 and released in 2006 on Esposito’s own SunJump record label, Down Blue Marlin Road is a collection of reharmonized and rearranged jazz standards along with three original compositions, all done in the standard jazz piano trio format. Accompanied by bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Peter O’Brien, the trio plays with drive and energy on the up-tempo numbers and taste and style on the ballads.

One of the highlights is “Soul,” a reworking of the Heyman and Green standard “Body And Soul.” O’Brien’s deft brush work with double time punctuations, along with Coleman’s great bass statements which are interjected into melodic gaps, make this one of the better recordings of this piece ever set to disc. They don’t just go through the motions, they work to make the piece a singular ensemble statement.

Esposito’s reworking of some of the pieces results in the creation of some interesting sounds. “Autumn,” a backwards rendition of “Autumn Leaves,” is especially interesting. It is beyond doubt a totally different piece, and works extremely well. Esposito’s understanding of harmonic language is complete and aids in the recastings. While the liner notes state Esposito doesn’t respect all standards equally, mostly because he’s “sick and tired of being asked to play them,” you wouldn’t know it from his trio’s renditions of the each tune’s extrapolations.

O’Brien shines on the reworking of “I’ll Remember April,” here entitled “April.” He shifts back and forth between three and four with such a smooth yet determined precision most would never know he’s doing it. Esposito is no slouch in the technique department either. His sure fingers and excellent touch, in addition to lightening quick abilities when needed and called for, as in “Red,” help to make this disc better than standard fare.

Overall this is a good recording that features, as its main point, extended harmonic reharmonizations and novel approaches to the usual standard fare. The end result is an interesting approach to the pieces all jazz musicians grow up learning, and for that alone this disc is highly recommended to students of the art. - jazzreview.com

John Esposito is unquestionably a tinkerer of jazz standards, morphing, deconstructing and modifying them for his own, and the listeners delight. This pianist, with distinct cues from McCoy Tyner, reinvents well-known fare on this CD, generally stripping down titles to a single word, and reharmonizing the melody lines beyond recognition unless you listen closely. For the casual fan this will involve a bit of work, but those who do know these tunes as originally done, you will discover a keen sense of rediscovery and freshness within Esposito's ten digits. He splits "It Was Just..." and "Of Those Things" into an energetic display of virtuosity and a back halved solo projection respectively, while the "one" is cleverly replaced by "9" in 9/8 time. Tyner's presence is obvious from the start on "Beloved," a modal skittish spray of chords, fleet single lines and harmonic flourishes. "Red" is an offshoot of Charlie Parker's "Red Cross," the title track an arpeggiated and off-minor harmonic romp based in the well worn "On Green Dolphin Street," and "April" is a jumping waltz interpolation of "April In Paris." The wit, wisdom and downright sarcasm of Esposito is startling, and a talent to behold throughout this project. Check out the easy solo treatment of "How Deep Is The Ocean" retitled simply "Ocean," or the simpler but intricate adaptation of "Autumn In New York" dubbed "Autumn." With bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Peter O'Brien, Esposito either maniacally or thoughtfully throws down these chestnuts, reconfigures them to his own taste and seasoning, and adds a virtuosity seldom heard in players interpreting jazz standards. A bold conception and execution to be sure, and with band mates that can hold up their end quite well, this recording is hopefully one of many to come from a brilliant player who deserves wider attention. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide - All Music Guide

John Esposito is an exciting mainstream progressive jazz piano player. He's always offering lucid, forward-thinking, rhythmically propelling ideas, and displays the right mix of moxie and taste. For this effort he delves into the modern hard bop to post-bop arena, with no small flourishes of the music Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, John Coltrane, and Art Blakey propagated in the '60s. But Esposito has updated those styles with a complex set of charts, all of his own doing, that require close listening tools. Pay full attention to hear the street smarts and imagination Esposito utilize to make all of this music come alive. Rising star trumpeter Greg Glassman and veteran alto saxophonist Eric Person deserve much credit in taking Esposito's charts, running with them, and adding their own personal flair, distinctive tones, and textures. This is not easy music, but not so diffuse as to avoid a melodic center or ignore the raucous nature of rambling, gambling music. The CD is bookended by hard swingers: the opener, "Boppin'," has a melody that sounds like it is played backwards, goofy, and a little off-kilter; while "Fast Ride" is more straight and true, but retains an edge that recalls the more challenging material that Hubbard or Sam Rivers might have contributed to the Blue Note label. "Flex" is another post-bop but angular swinger with great solos from the horns. A churning modal 11/8 rhythm suggests both Asian and African influences during the excellent "Musashi," while Arabic or Native American elements and Person's soprano sax inform the snake charmer-styled title track, with the dark serpentine ostinato bass of Kenny Davis setting the tone before switching to an escapist samba. The deviously conceived "Just Fiends," clearly a mutation of "Just Friends," has a chopped-up Glassman and Person agreeing and disagreeing vigorously. Two ballads, "Late November" and "Joan," are emotional opposites, the former a shadowy waltz for impending winter, the latter a post-romantic free discourse from rhythm or bar lines, featuring the poignant and sullen alto sax of Person. Esposito's individualistic piano playing needs repeated audio observation to realize its uniqueness, but this is more his composer's forum. He succeeds on many real and important levels in creating some of the finest new modern jazz you may hear in the post-Wynton Marsalis era. ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide - All Music Guide

JOHN ESPOSITO With JAYNA NELSON/MATT SCHULMAN/ERIC PERSON/JIM FINN/TONY UNDERWOOD/HILLIARD GREENE/PETER O'BRIEN - A Book Of Five Rings: Live At The Knitting Factory (Sunjump CD 05; USA) Jayna Nelson, Flute and Piccolo; Matt Schulman, Trumpet; Eric Person, Alto and Soprano Saxophone; James Finn, Tenor Sax and Bass Clarinet; Tony Underwood, Tuba; John Esposito, Piano; Hilliard Greene, Bass; Peter O'Brien, Drums. This great live set was recorded in August of 1997 at the Knitting Factory and hasn't been released until now. The long and circuitous story in the liner notes must be read to be believed to see why it has taken so long to get this disc to be released. I only know about half of the folks in this fine octet. All of the pieces here are relatively long, the entire CD is nearly 79 minutes long. "Bwarat" opens and Mr. Esposito has written some strong harmonies for the horns: bass clarinet, flute, soprano sax, trumpet and tuba. There are a number of long and inspired solos from the flute, soprano sax and trumpet. What is most striking is the support and interplay of the rhythm team, especially John's dynamic piano. On "Smitty", it is John's McCoy-like piano that is most astonishing and powerful, pushing the band higher and higher, with another burning solo from Matt Schulman's trumpet. The octet sounds like a little big band on "Two Worlds" with Peter O'Brien's drums creating a driving rhythmic force. The freer moments here are especially inspired and feature some fine soprano and bass clarinet swirling around one another intensely. The final piece, "...And His Spirit Ascended/Trane's Church" is an uplifting, epic-length, spiritual work which I find to be completely enchanting. The piano is rather harp-like and the flute and hand percussion create soft cosmic waves. Flutist Jayna Nelson is a particularly fine musician who I haven't heard of before or since this disc, we can only hope that will uncover more from her in the future. This is John Esposito's fifth disc on his own Sunjump label and each one has been another undiscovered gem ripe for the plucking. Do not miss out on these delectable hidden treasures! - BLG - Downtown Music Gallery