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John O'Gallagher

Today in the world of modern jazz and improvised music there is an imperative for artists to strive for individuality while embodying the developments in jazz and music as a whole. New York, for the past decade, has been a hotbed of creative music for artists who are concerned with the continued development of the jazz vocabulary. As one of these artists, John O'Gallagher has drawn attention for his unique voice and artistic vision.

Born in Anaheim, Ca., he began studying classical saxophone literature at age 13 in Spokane, Wa. After attending Eastern Washington University for two years, John went on to receive a BA from Berklee College of Music and a MA from Manhattan School of Music.

Since moving to New York in 1988, John has become well known for his work in the downtown music scene and beyond, performing at clubs in New York City (Bluenote, Knitting Factory, Small's, Birdland, etc...) and throughout North America and Europe.He has been featured in the Grammy-winning Joe Henderson Big Band, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Kenny Wheeler Large Ensemble, Jason Lindner Big Band, Roberta Piket Quartet, Ron Horton Sextet, Bob Belden Ensemble, David Phillips and Freedance, as well as numerous ensembles with musicians Jeff Williams, John McNeil, John Medeski, Kermit Driscoll, Dave Ballou, Mike Sarin, Ken Shaphorst, Dave Berkman, Al Foster, Rick Margitza, Uri Caine, Tom Harrell, Drew Gress, Jeff Hirshfield, Chris Potter, Russ Johnson, Rene Rosnes, Richie Beirach, Harvey Swartz, George Schuller, George Mraz, Matt Wilson, Cameron Brown, Bruce Barth, Ben Monder, Marcus Rojas, Conrad Herwig, Rich Perry, Billy Mintz, Ben Allison, Joey Sellers, Frank Kimbrough, Ben Monder, Peter Madsen, Johannes Weidenmueller, etc.

John has also been featured on radio programs in Europe (Radio France-Jazz Sur Le Vif) and the U.S. (WNYC).

As an educator and clinician John has a full roster of private students and has conducted master classes and clinics at high schools and universities throughout the United States. He is also a faculty member at Maine Jazz Camp, which is held every year for three weeks at the University of Maine campus in Farmington, Me.

John currently leads two groups: Axiom (with Tony Malaby, John Hebert and Jeff Williams)cand The Open Door Trio (with Johannes Weidenmueller and Jeff Hirshfield).

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Album Review

Noah Preminger: Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert

Read "Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Noah Preminger prosegue nella pubblicazione di lavori estremamente interessanti, stavolta dirigendo e interpretando un'opera non sua, ma da lui commissionata al trombettista e compositore Steve Lampert—esperienze vastissime a partire da quelle giovanili con Lionel Hampton e Gerry Mulligan, fino a maturare una personale concezione dell'improvvisazione. Si tratta di un singolare brano unico, lungo oltre quarantotto minuti, fittamente strutturato, ma al tempo stesso illuminato dalle improvvisazioni dei singoli. Il titolo, Zigsaw, rimanda da un lato all'andamento zigzagante della musica, ...

16
Album Review

Jeff Williams: Road Tales - Live At London Jazz Festival

Read "Road Tales - Live At London Jazz Festival" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann


Some live albums impress with the sophistication of restraint or sonic clarity, others simply boast energy. Veteran drummer Jeff Williams' Road Tales: Live At London Jazz Festival unmistakably belongs to the latter. Vested with two handfuls of original compositions and an adept cast of sidemen, Williams delivers a fiery set of saxophone-led post-bop that revisits a number of tunes from the drummer's past albums and presents a couple of new pieces. Since joining Whirlwind recordings, Williams has been ...

Album Review

Andrew Rathbun: Atwood Suites

Read "Atwood Suites" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Sassofonista e orchestratore canadese, Andrew Rathbun ha 47 anni e una ricca carriera alle spalle, svolta negli Stati Uniti con studi al New England Conservatory sotto la guida di Ran Blake e dal 1997 professionalmente a New York in vari contesti. A partire dal debutto del 1999 con Scatter Some Stones, ha inciso alcuni dischi da leader, il più noto dei quali è Sculpture (Fresh Sound 2002) inciso in quintetto col suo mentore Kenny Wheeler. Con quest'ultimo Rathbun ha collaborato ...

6
Album Review

Noah Preminger Group: Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert

Read "Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


With Zigsaw: The Music of Steve Lampert, saxophonist Noah Preminger presents his most ambitious album to date. Trumpeter-composer Lampert writes cerebral, avant-garde compositions. Preminger, rather than diving into a collection of Lampert tunes, takes on a single forty-nine minute magnum opus piece that zigzags back and forth between structure and openness, with an all-star septet that creates a sometimes brash, sometimes dreamy and rambling sound. Describing this sound: a sonic jigsaw stew comprised of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew ...

8
Album Review

Noah Preminger Group: Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert

Read "Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


Tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger has dedicated considerable effort into his imprint on jazz variations of the delta blues with Some Other Time (Newvelle, 2016), Pivot: Live At The 55 Bar (Self-Produced, 2016) and Meditations on Freedom (Self-Produced, 2017). Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert is a departure in concept and content with a single extended track composed by Steve Lampert. With this album, Preminger hits a new peak with the fourteenth album in his prolific career. Steve Lampert is ...

4
Album Review

Andrew Rathbun Large Ensemble: Atwood Suites

Read "Atwood Suites" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Andrew Rathbun is a Canadian saxophonist who has made a major musical statement here with this collection of suites, two of which are based on the poetry of author Margaret Atwood. Rathbun's writing shows the influence of another Canadian, Kenny Wheeler, in its lush sonority, the frequent gorgeous flugelhorn solos by Tim Hagans and the role of Luciana Souza, who both sings Atwood's poetry with gentle forcefulness and moans wordlessly within the orchestral ensembles, the same way Wheeler often utilized ...

4
Album Review

Andrew Rathbun: Atwood Suites

Read "Atwood Suites" reviewed by Paul Rauch


The mingling of jazz music and poetry is not a new concept. It has always been an amiable, yet at times, uncomfortable fit. From a verse standpoint, it is in many ways liberating. While most vocalized lyrics and spoken word forms rely on rhyme to speak to cadence and rhythm, free verse poetry liberates the narrative from the confinements of structure, and much like an improvising instrumentalist, takes spoken language into a intertwining duality with the melody within harmonic dimension. ...

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Performance / Tour

Gene Ess Group with Harvie S, John O'Gallagher, and Gene Jackson @ Kavehaz, June 18 2005

Gene Ess Group with Harvie S, John O'Gallagher, and Gene Jackson @ Kavehaz, June 18 2005

Source: All About Jazz

Gene Ess Group featuring Harvie S, John O'Gallagher, Gene Jackson at Kavehaz Jazz Cafe, NYC - June 18, 2005 10PM.

Gene Ess - guitar John O'Gallagher - saxophone Harvie S - bass Gene Jackson - drums

“Electrifying jazz played with solid technique and soul." ~ Mike Varney Guitar Player Magazine

“Even if you knew who Gene Shimosato was, you're still going to be surprised when you hear Gene Ess! Fans of electronic ...

77

Performance / Tour

John O'Gallagher's Axiom - CD Release Events in New York Philadelphia

John O'Gallagher's Axiom - CD Release Events in New York Philadelphia

Source: All About Jazz

John O’Gallagher’s Axiom Releases Line Of Sight on Fresh Sound Recordings

CD Release Events in New York and Philadelphia in March

A distinctive and fresh new voice on the modern jazz scene, saxophonist John O’Gallagher brings a strong composer’s sensibility to bear on Line of Sight (Fresh Sound Recordings, rel. date February 15), his second recording with his Axiom quartet, featuring tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist John Hebert and drummer Jeff Williams. Melding a kind of classical aesthetic with a ...

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Performance / Tour

Gene Ess with John O'gallagher and Donny McCaslin at Kavehaz

Gene Ess with John O'gallagher and Donny McCaslin at Kavehaz

Source: All About Jazz

Guitarist Gene Ess will present his group at the Kavehaz Jazz Cafe on May 14 and 15, 2004. The performance starts at 10PM.

John O'Gallagher will be featured on May 14 and Donny McCaslin will be featured on May 15. Kavehaz is located at 37 W26th Street in Manhattan, NY. For more info call: 212-343-0612.

Gene Ess - guitar Gene Jackson - drums Thomas Morgan - bass John O'gallagher on 5/14 and ...

Reto Anneler
saxophone

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

No Boundaries

Whirlwind Recordings
2020

buy

Road Tales - Live At...

Whirlwind Recordings
2020

buy

Illumination

Fresh Sound Records
2020

buy

Zigsaw: Music of...

Self Produced
2019

buy

Atwood Suites

Origin Records
2018

buy

Live In Brooklyn

Whirlwind Recordings
2017

buy

Two Islands III

From: Atwood Suites
By John O'Gallagher

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