Recent Work

  • Dharma Down is a new project featuring New England Seacoast veterans Mike Effenberger, Duncan Hardy, and Scott Kiefner. This Modern Jazz Quartet combines music from across jazz compendium, the great american songbook, influences from traditional klezmer and eastern music, plus original compositions
  • Shaman Denominator is a collaberative jazz trio with Chris Klaxton and Scott Kiefner playing contemporary, improvisational jazz drawing on any and all musical sources for inspiration.
  • Bassoon is New York's premier instrumental Metal/Doom band featuring Stuart Popejoy on Bass/Keys, Sean Moran on Guitar, and John on Drums. Time Out New York had this to say about Bassoon - "The power trio is one of Brooklyn’s heaviest and most challenging, bringing to mind a mixture of Melvins-style avant-sludge and daredevil ’70s fusion."
    Their next release will be out in Summer 2023 on the Nefarious Industries label.
  • Flying Home - playing the music of Benny Goodman a classic sextet performing Jazz and Swing hits from the 1930s and 1940s with an authentic look and sound.

History

John grew up in a musical family in the Washington D.C. area, where he played the drums, guitar, bass, piano, and sang. He holds a B.M. in classical percussion from the University of Maryland and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music. After 20+ years in NYC as an active part of the Downtown Music scene, recording and touring with a broad range of Jazz, Pop, and Experimental artists, he now resides in Southern Maine and is an active part of the Seacoast Jazz scene while still remaining active with his NYC collaborators.

Playing

A versatile and energetic musician, John has toured extensively in the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, and appears on over 50 recordings. He has worked with jazz greats Marc Ribot, Ran Blake, and Herb Robertson, legendary New Music mavericks Bobby Previte, Mark Feldman, David Tronzo, Matt Darriau & Paradox Trio. In Boston, he founded the third stream improv group Third Ear, and upon moving to New York he was quickly snatched up by downtown legends EZ Pour Spout and Goats in Trees. His deep understanding of song structure, broad dynamic range and musicality have made John a natural choice for the many singer/songwriters he has worked with, including Dee Carstenson, Vicki Genfan, Melissa Sheehan, Cynthia Hopkins, and Broadway Diva Melissa Errico.

Production Credits

John has produced jingles for the Nickelodeon network, Saturday Night Live, and he has been a longtime collaborator of film composer John Davis, recording music for Miramax Films, HBO, and Lifetime Network as well as a host of indie films. He has recorded and produced albums by Melissa Sheehan, Alice Bierhorst, Rob Levit, Drazy Hoops, and Rockdove, among others, at his own Running Girl Studio in Brooklyn, NY. More info at: mettammedia.com

Transcriptions

An avid transcriber and copyist, John has become the go-to guy for accurate and meticulous transcriptions and charts focusing on ease of reading and catering to the art of performance. He has created charts and scores for many great artists including: Starlight Orchestras, Marc Ribot, T-Bone Burnett, Elton John, Leon Russell, Gregg Allman, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp, Secret Sisters, Jeff Bridges, Neko Case, Karen Nelson, and many more. More info at: mettammusic.com