[Cover photo of Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, credit to Steve Rapport]
After thirty-five years of being part of the music scene of New Orleans, Grammy Award-winner Jon Cleary decided to “bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally.” He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen, his all-star big band, in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his favorite songs, including some new favorites, and rolled tape. The result is The Bywater Sessions, which was co-Produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal).
Cleary says:
We set out to capture that sound in the old-fashioned way: everybody in the room, playing together. There’s a lot to be said for the ‘lean and mean’ sound of a piano trio, stripped down to basics, simple and direct. But recently, I’ve been experimenting with different combinations; adding horns, guitar, percussion and even another keyboard player. This expanded line-up has allowed the arrangements to blossom in new directions.
Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and there’s an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).
Cleary was born in London arrived in New Orleans before he turned twenty years old. He played as a session musician in the bands of local legends Earl King, Johnny Adams, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill, and as a guitarist for Dr. John. He later toured extensively with Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal. His solo career began in earnest in 1989 and includes records like their self-titled band debut and his 2015 Grammy winner, Go-Go Juice.
Cleary invites audiences to The Bywater Sessions:
Close your eyes, imagine you’re in the room with us, me and the band, Mike Dorsey the engineer, John Porter the producer and Reed the manager. Turn it up and enjoy the experience. I hope you have as much fun listening as we did playing.
JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN 2025 TOUR DATES:
Apr 1 Tue – University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab – Edmond, OK
Apr 3 Thu – Space – Evanston, IL
Apr 12 Sat – French Quarter Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
Apr 13 Sun – Tipitina’s Uptown – New Orleans, LA
Apr 16 Wed – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
Apr 24 Thu – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
Apr 25 – The Broadside – New Orleans
Apr 28 Mon – WWOZ Piano Night – New Orleans, LA
May 1 Thu – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
May 6 Tue – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium – Shreveport, LA (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 7 Wed – Robinson Center – Little Rock, AR (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 9 Fri – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis, TN (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 10 Sat – Iroquois Amphitheater – Louisville, KY (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 11 Sun – 3rd and Lindsley – Nashville, TN
May 21 Wed – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
May 30 Fri – The Bitter End – New York, NY
May 31 Sat – The Bitter End – New York, NY
Jun 1 Sun – Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest 2025 – Augusta, NJ
Jun 7 Sat – O2 Apollo Manchester – Manchester, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jun 8 Sun – Theatre Royal Concert Hall – Nottingham, United Kingdom
Jun 11 Wed – The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall – Glasgow, United Kingdom
Jun 14 Sat – Wolverhampton Civic Hall – Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
Jun 16 Mon – Royal Albert Hall – London, United Kingdom
Jun 17 Tue – Brighton Dome – Brighton, United Kingdom
Jun 23 Mon – Oslo Konserthus – Oslo, Norway
Jun 25 Wed – Amager Bio – Copenhagen, Denmark
Jun 27 Fri – Værket – Randers, Denmark
Jun 29 Sun – Admiralspalast – Berlin, Germany
Jul 1 Tue – Salierhalle – Winterbach, Germany
Jul 3 Thu – KUNST!RASEN – Bonn, Germany
Jul 12 Sat – The Sugar Club – Dublin, Ireland
Jul 17 Thu – BIX Jazzclub & Lounge – Stuttgart, Germany
Jul 19 Sat – Raising Spirit Festival – Holnest, United Kingdom
Jul 19 Sat – Gent Jazz 2025 – Gent, Belgium
Jul 22 Tue – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jul 23 Wed – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jul 24 Thu – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Sep 4 Thu – Big Blues Bender 2025 – Las Vegas, NV
Dec 6 Sat – Johnson’s Boucaniere – Lafayette, LA
