John Menegon
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John Menegon

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"Festival International de Jazz de Montreal 2005"

Pat Metheny with saxophonist Dewey Redman: With Dewey Redman's own rhythm section of bassist John Menegon and drummer Matt Wilson, Metheny tried to recreate some of the material from 80/8a, including the title track, the beautiful ballad, "The Bat" and the Ornette Coleman Piece "Turnaround." Menegon met the demands of the music with a combination of relaxed swing and more outward-looking freedom. His solos were the perfect confluence of rhythmic invention and melodic conception. Like most of Metheny's shows this week, the 80/81 Revisited half of the show was over all-too-quickly. The entire group demonstrated that it's one thing to play free, but it's another entirely to do so with a strong sense of purpose. Some free players appear to be just pushing air; this group was always heading somewhere. - Montreal Gazette


"Search Light"

John Menegon's Search Light is not only witty, atmospheric, and thoroughly engaging from one end to the other, it demonstrates the frequent error of perceiving the role of the bass too narrowly. The bass is so often thought of as the engine room of jazz ensembles, providing the rhythmic pulse and harmonic core, that many people find it hard to think of it doing much else. On Search Light, John Menegon shows, without self-indulgence, that the bass can define the character of an ensemble as clearly and fully as any other instrument. The entire project has a sure-footedness, a quiet, elegant, muscularity that radiates from Mr. Menegon's own playing, and that is immediately apparent and compelling.
This quiet, engaging setting is ideal for the harmonically adventurous, rhythmically textured, original compositions, played here with innovative instrumentation, notably the voice, bass and flute trio that states the melody on the title track "Search Light" and the bass and saxophone treatment of the melody in "Last Chance," a clever, distinctive homage to bop.
Mr. Menegon is often introduced as "Dewey Redman's bassist," and although that's certainly an association to be proud of, Search Light ought to start people thinking of Mr. Menegon, in his own right, as the master bassist and composer that this recording demonstrates him to be. The band is made up entirely of accomplished players, the best known being, in fact, saxophonist Dewey Redman, who is, once again, brilliant, and wonderful. Contributions are made throughout by drummer Mark McLean, drummer and percussionist Tani Tabbal, guitarist Mark Dziuba, saxophonist and flautist, John Gunther, and on two selections, vocalist Teri Roiger. - Steven Robinson, AllAboutJazz New York


Discography

SOUL ADVICE (John Menegon’s release, Maki Records) 2006: John Menegon (bass), John Gunther (sax & bass clarinet), Mark Dziuba (guitar)
Tani Tabbal (drums)

SEARCH LIGHT (John Menegon’s release, Maki Records) 2004: John Menegon (bass), Dewey Redman (sax), John Gunther (sax), Mark Dziuba (guitar), Mark McLean (drums), Tani Tabbal (drums and percussion), Teri Roiger (voice)

LIFE (David Fathead Newman’s release, HighNote Records) 2007: David Fathead Newman (sax and flute), John Menegon (bass), David Leonhardt (piano), Peter Bernstein (guitar), Steve Nelson (vibes), Yoron Israel (drums)

CITYSCAPE (David Fathead Newman’s release, HighNote Records) 2006: David Fathead Newman (sax and flute), John Menegon (bass), David Leonhardt (piano), Howard Johnson (baritone sax), Yoron Israel (drums)

I REMEMBER BROTHER RAY (David Fathead Newman’s release, HighNote Records) 2005:
David Fathead Newman (sax and flute), John Hicks (piano), John Menegon (bass), Steve Nelson (vibes), Winard Harper (drums)

STILL LIFE (Teri Roiger’s release on Maki Records) 2005: Teri Roiger (voice), Frank Kimbrough (piano), John Menegon (bass), Gil Goldstein (accordion) Matt Wilson (drums)

DEWEY REDMAN’S GUGGENHEIM GRANT PROJECT, released August 2004: A recording at Ornette Coleman’s studio featuring Dewey Redman, JOHN MENEGON (bass), Joe Lovano, Michael Bocian, Leroy Jenkins, Pharoan Aklaff Matt Wilson, Amina Claudine Meyers, Teri Roiger, Judi Silvano, Lydija Redman and others

SONG FOR THE NEW MAN (David Fathead Newman’s release, HighNote Records) 2004: David Fathead Newman (sax and flute), John Hicks (piano), John Menegon (bass)
Curtis Fuller (trombone), Jimmy Cobb (drums)

ANTHONY BRAXTON’S TRILLIUM R, composition no. 162, (Opera In Four Acts) 1991

FIFTH HOUSE (collaborative project released on Imaginary Records) 2000: John Menegon (bass), Adam Rafferty (guitar), Jeff Siegel (drums)

MISTERIOSO (Teri Roiger/John Menegon release on King Records in Japan and Maki Records in the U.S.) 1998: Teri Roiger (voice), Kenny Burrell (guitar), John Menegon (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)

THROW OUT THE LIFE LINE (Linda Gibbs/Pat McKearn release) 2000

IF I SHOULD LOSE YOU (Sarah James release) 1995

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

My main influences in music covers a wide range, starting with the late great Charles Mingus to the ever present Dave Holland group. I've listened and studied the music of all the great jazz masters, including Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, and many others. Following is my musical BIO.

A resident of Upstate New York, Menegon started his career as a jazz bassist in Montreal. After having worked for several years on the Canadian jazz scene with the great guitarists Sonny Greenwich, Mike Gauthier & Nelson Simons, and saxophonists Steve Grossman & Pat LaBarbara, he then went on to hone his skills in NYC in the mid-80s. Since moving to New York City to study Jazz at Long Island University on a full scholarship, John has performed/recorded with Dewey Redman, David “Fathead” Newman, Matt Wilson, Frank Kimbrough, John Hicks, Yoron Israel, Jack DeJohnette, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Barron, Bruce Barth, Paul Bley, Anthony Braxton's Tri-Centric Orchestra, Nick Brignola, Bob Meyer, Jimmy Cobb, Al Foster, Slide Hampton, Sheila Jordan, Lee Konitz, J.R. Monterose and many others.

John is an integral member of the David “Fathead” Newman Quintet, and was a member of the Dewey Redman Quartet for ten years up until his death in 2006. These jazz legends have taken John around the world, playing at jazz festivals in South Africa, Argentina, Turkey, Brazil, Europe and the U.S., and have been a major influence in his playing and compositions. John appears on Newman’s four most recent CDs on High Note Records, the most recent being a 2007 release entitled Life.

In 2005 John recorded SOUL ADVICE, a CD of original compositions written by the musicians in the band: Mark Dziuba (guitar), John Gunther (bass clarinet, tenor & soprano sax), Tani Tabbal (drums), and Menegon (bass). This is a brilliant release full of rich composition and arrangement…when you have a strong well-rounded bassist like John Menegon composing, arranging, and laying down the serious low-end vibes, the music naturally flows out and around and back again seeking its root. John Trent, Chronogram

In 2004 Menegon debuted his CD Search Light. The CD is a selection of his original compositions and arrangements, and features one of jazz's greatest living legends, Dewey Redman (sax), along with John Gunther (sax/flute), Mark Dziuba (guitar), Mark McLean (drums), Tani Tabbal (percussion) and Teri Roiger (voice). John Menegon’s Search Light is witty, atmospheric, and thoroughly engaging from one end to the other. On Search Light, John Menegon shows, without self-indulgence, that the bass can define the character of an ensemble as clearly and fully as any other instrument. The entire project has a surefootedness, a quiet, elegant, muscularity that radiates from Mr. Menegon’s own playing, and that is immediately apparent and compelling. The band is made up entirely of accomplished players, the best known being, in fact, saxophonist Dewey Redman, who is, once again, brilliant, and wonderful. Steven Robinson, All About Jazz

In 2005 John played at the Montreal Jazz Festival with Pat Metheny and Dewey Redman, performing music from Metheny’s CD 80/81. John also played at the Festival with the Dewey Redman Quartet featuring Matt Wilson on drums and Frank Kimbrough on piano, which was acclaimed by the critics as the best performance of the entire 2005 Festival.

John is currently teaching bass, jazz workshops and jazz history at SUNY New Paltz and Williams College.