Home » Jazz Musicians » John Funkhouser

John Funkhouser

A native of the Boston, MA area, John Funkhouser (piano, bass) studied classical piano from the age of seven, and classical bass from age nine. He majored in music theory at Cornell University and returned to Boston to earn a Masters degree from New England Conservatory in jazz piano, bass and composition in 1995. After four years living in New York City, John again returned to Boston in 2000 to raise a family, perform, and teach at Berklee College of Music.

Funkhouser takes an active interest in a wide spectrum of music, including all kinds of jazz, from avant-garde to straight ahead to New Orleans Jazz, Brazilian and Afro-Cuban music, folk music of Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Africa, American popular music, including funk, rock, blues, bluegrass, and hiphop, Classical from Gregorian chant to 21st century music, Hindustani and Carnatic Classical music of India, Balinese and Javanese Gamelan, and all kinds of hybrids between these various traditions.

Funkhouser is in demand as a jazz bassist and pianist, participating in an array of musical projects with the Northeast’s most accomplished and creative musicians. He has shared the stage with such luminaries as Grammy nominees Luciana Souza and Tierney Sutton, Steve Gadd, Abe Laboriel Sr., Max Weinberg, South Indian percussion master Trichy Sankaran, Ran Blake, Herb Pomeroy, Natraj, Yoron Israel, Laszlo Gardony, Ron Savage, Bob Gulotti, Rick Peckham, Phil Grenadier, piano savant Matt Savage, and Mark Harvey's Aardvark Jazz Orchestra. Along with Ran Blake, Herb Pomeroy and John Harbison, he was a featured soloist with the MIT Wind Ensemble’s world premier of Mark Harvey’s magnum opus, “Beyond.”

Funkhouser returned to his classical roots in 2003, joining the bass section of the New England Philharmonic under conductor Richard Pittman. The orchestra specializes in modern music, performing world premiers and 20th/21st Century music, as well as the standard Classic and Romantic repertoire. Funkhouser shared the stage with pianist Stephen Drury, and was featured in March, 2006 as section leader and as one of three soloists in Gunther Schuller’s 1991 Violin Concerto. Funkhouser has also taken an active interest in Boston’s World Jazz scene, and has performed with some of Boston’s top World Musicians, including Leo Blanco, Francisco Mela, Pablo Bencid, Steve Langone, Rebecca Cline, and Natraj.

As the leader and pianist of the John Funkhouser Trio and as a sideman, Funkhouser has toured the US several times, performing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, Pittsburgh's Mellon Jazz Festival, Oklahoma City's Jazz In June (as leader and headliner), and many other music festivals. He has played at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Birdland, and Dizzy’s in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Wang Center and the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, and top venues in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kansas City, Denver, Seattle, and dozens of other US cities. John has performed abroad in such diverse locations as Paris, Toulon, Zurich, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Montreal. He appeared with Matt Savage on ABC’s “20/20” and twice on NBC’s “Today Show,” and several other television shows.

Read more

Tags

5
Album Review

Bloom Funkhouser Duo: Exuberant Ellingtonia: Flute & Piano Sessions

Read "Exuberant Ellingtonia: Flute & Piano Sessions" reviewed by Troy Dostert


Although the enormous quantity of Duke Ellington tributes recorded over the years is probably far too large to count, those involving flute and piano duos are a much rarer find. So it is a welcome occurrence that flautist Peter H. Bloom and pianist John Funkhouser, two prominent veterans of the Boston jazz scene, have recorded just that: a thoughtfully curated, well-played collection of time-tested gems from the Ellington songbook which is perfect in highlighting the musicality and emotional potency of ...

Album Review

Aardvark Jazz Orchestra: Faces Of Souls

Read "Faces Of Souls" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Si avvicina al cinquantesimo anno di attività l'Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, fondata nel 1973 da Mark Harvey e ancora diretta dall'inossidabile trombettista, compositore e bandleader di Boston. In questo nuovo disco--il decimo pubblicato con la Leo Records e registrato live in varie occasioni--ritroviamo il consueto eclettismo della formazione, capace di passare da quadri in libera improvvisazione a concitazioni rock anche in uno stesso brano. Per la verità stavolta i contrasti sono più smussati e tendono a prevalere compostezza ...

1
Album Review

John Funkhouser: Still

Read "Still" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Pianista, bassista e compositore proveniente dalla musica classica e dalla marcata curiosità musicale, John Funkhouser è da tempo alla testa di un trio che, con questo, giunge al quarto CD in quindici anni. Il leader è affiancato da Greg Loughman al contrabbasso e Mike Connors alla batteria, ma in questo lavoro vi si aggiungono in alcune tracce anche Phil Sargent alla chitarra e Aubrey Johnson alla voce (usata comunque in modo strumentale e coloristico). Still è un ...

3
Album Review

John Funkhouser: Still

Read "Still" reviewed by Jeffrey Uhrich


With the unpredictable sensibility and graceful prowess of a cat, John Funkhouser and his core trio draw the listener into Still, an intelligent and poignant collection of alluring tracks that display an inner sense of musical exploration and innovation. Funkhouser is masterful as both a musician and composer/arranger, maintaining a delicate balance of power and agility with an instinctive musical sense to pull back and allow his fellow musicians to explore their musical ideas. It is as if ...

148
Album Review

John Funkhouser Trio: Time

Read "Time" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose


A sad indictment of much contemporary music is that it has been over-intellectualized. With fun expunged from the soul of music, it becomes so wooden and hard to enjoy that it may as well never have been released--even made--at all. However, on the occasion when intellect and soul meet, music of exceptional beauty and exceedingly important value is made, and it is possible to simply shut the eyes and enjoy it. Such is the impact of the music of John ...

Read more articles
Primary Instrument

Piano

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music Available for private teaching. Please contact through my website: http://johnfunkhouser.com/

Clinic/Workshop Information

Most clinics are done with my trio, helping students learn about various parameters of improvisation, and helping less experienced students overcome shyness. We gear each clinic to the needs of the situation, however.

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Exuberant...

Americas Musicworks
2022

buy

Faces Of Souls

Leo Records
2020

buy

Democratic Vistas

Leo Records
2018

buy

Songs from the...

Self-released
2016

buy

Still

Jazsyzygy Records
2014

buy

Videos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.