Primary Instrument: Violin
With three well-received recordings under his name featuring Tony Malaby, Todd Sickafoose, Scott Amendola, Devin Hoff, Art Hirahara, and Pete Forbes, John has also performed and recorded with an array of noteworthy artists over the years, including Honeycut (on DJ Shadow's Quannum Records); composer/clarinetist Beth Custer (on her CD Vinculum Symphony and the Hans Wendl-produced soundtrack to the 1929 Russian silent film My Grandmother); and vocalist Percy Howard (Incidental Seductions with Living Colour's Vernon Reid, King Crimson's Trey Gunn and This Heat's Charles Hayward). Ettinger served as a co-founding member of several bay area bands, including eclectic improv groups Overdriven Cultists (with Grassy Knoll members Dave Revelli and Jonathan Byerly) and electric jazz-jam band Hurlo Thrumbo (with Jon Preuss, Andrew Luthringer, and Tod Preuss). He has also performed in various other settings with The Scott Amendola Band, Beth Custer, Damon Smith, and Naut Humon and the Iso-Orchestra with Arto Lindsay and Eyvind Kang. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, Ettinger lived in Arizona, where he collaborated with several musicians, including Trio Discussions (with Rob Kaplan, and J. B. Smith), an improv group with whom he recorded an album produced by guitarist David Torn.
While in Arizona he also was a member of the Primavera String Quartet, Mariachi Continental Azteca, various community symphony orchestras, and a composer of music for Desert Dance Theatre, the Southwest's leading modern dance company. He played in over 50 musicals on either violin or bass. He was a professional bass player in Arizona through the 80's and early 90's until his move to San Francisco. In 1987 he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance on violin from Arizona State University. John was born in Detroit, raised in Arizona, and eventually migrated to the San Francisco bay area where he now lives with his wife and two daughters.
Last Updated: September 20, 2012
Cadence Magazine:
”This quartet makes a great sound...If you are looking for
jazz that is new and
different, but totally
approachable, this is a great find.” -Phillip McNally,
Cadence Magazine,
February 2007
DownBeat Magazine:
”Free improvisation and modern composition are among the
hallmarks of
Kissinger In Space, John
Ettinger's fine sophomore release.” 3 1/2 stars. -Eric
Fine, DownBeat
Magazine, March 2007
All Music Guide (4 stars):
”John Ettinger, a versatile violinist based in the San
Francisco Bay area, has in
the past played with rock
and avant-garde groups so he has a very open style. On
Kissinger In Space,
he mixes together lyrical
melodies with free playing while emphasizing catchy yet
unpredictable
rhythms, close interplay with
tenor-saxophonist Tony Malaby, group improvising and quirky
themes that
take their time to
develop...the music is fairly accessible and concise if full
of constant
surprises. It takes a few listens to
fully appreciate this diverse and colorful music for it
follows its own
intriguing logic. Recommended.” -
Scott Yanow, AllMusic.com
As a Leader
Inquatica - with Pete Forbes
Kissinger in Space - with Tony Malaby, Devin Hoff, and Scott
Amendola
August Rain - with Art Hirahara, Todd Sickafoose and Scott
Amendola
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