John J. Williamson

John is highly experienced in booking and providing small jazz groups for functions, events, restaurants/bars, etc. Get in touch! Testimonials: “…a great pleasure to play with… a creative musician who plays with great time feel and beautiful tone” – Sam Leak “…reliable, consummate, and versatile… fluent and innovative jazz vocabulary” – Kevin C. McDonald, Drummer, U.S. Navy Band Commodores “…his voice is singular on his instrument” – Brad Linde, co-founder/director, Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra “…a crack rhythm section… rollicking swing” – Washington DC City Paper Bio: John’s musicality, sight-reading and distinctive sound have led to a diverse musical portfolio centred around jazz, encompassing funk, big bands, pit orchestras, pop, bluegrass and avant-garde. Beyond his live work, John is patient, articulate teacher and accomplished studio musician, with a high-quality home setup for remote sessions. Recent highlights include Wilma Archer's new release 'A Western Circular' (Domino Records), a Trevor Mires/Nathaniel Cross project (with Sam Leak, Tom Hancock, Pat Levett, Hugh Wilkinson and Rod Youngs), the Morgan Brothers Big Band, a number of musicals, and jazz engagements alongside musicians such as Hannes Riepler, Gene Calderazzo, Tom Green, Nat Steele, Liam Dunachie, Matt Anderson, Riley Stone-Lonergan, and many more. First an electric-bass specialist, he now embraces the double bass as well, earning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music starting in 2020. In Washington DC John became the house bassist for the prestigious Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra led by Joe Herrera and Brad Linde, enjoying rep concerts under Miho Hazama and Nathan Parker Smith. He recorded twice for Linde’s avant-garde/Americana project Team Players with Billy Wolfe, Aaron Quinn and Deric Dickens, and played alongside David McDonald (Airmen of Note), Kevin McDonald (US Navy Commodores), Marty Nau, Anthony Pirog, among others. In Leeds, he was bassist and MD for the Leeds University Union Big Band, including performances at the North Sea Jazz Festival and on ITV, and performed regularly with stalwarts of the Northern England scene such as Steve Hanley, Martin Longhawn and Ben Lowman. In addition to his regular schedule, John is often asked to assemble bands for functions or parties in London and further afield. John arranges for large and small ensembles, has worked at Sibelius, and plays the accordion. He is an endorsing artist for Nordstrand Audio‘s electric basses, and uses Aguilar and Genzler amps and cabs.