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John Betsch

John Betsch was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1945 and presently lives in Paris. His mother was a church organist and pianist and his sister a dramatic soprano singer. John began playing drums at age nine and started playing professionally at 18 while a student at Fisk University. He continued his studies at the Berklee School of Music and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst under Max Roach and Archie Shepp; John also taught at U. Mass. and in state prison education programs.

Moving to New York City in '75, he played drums with the Ted Daniel big band, Jeanne Lee, Abbey Lincoln, Dewey Redman, and others. John has toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Africa, notably with Max Roach (Newport, '74), Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre ('76), Abdullah Ibrahim and Dewey Redman ('79), and Steve Lacy (for many years, up until Mr. Lacy's recent passing).

A partial John Betsch discography includes more than 3O recordings with Billy Bang, the John Betsch Society, Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim), Marilyn Crispell, Steve Lacy, Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Jim Pepper, Archie Shepp, Henry Threadgill, Mal Waldron, and others, on labels including Chiaroscuro, Enja, RCA Novus, Sackville, Soul Note, Strata East, and Verve.

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9
Album Review

Aruán Ortiz Trio: Serranias: Sketchbook For Piano Trio

Read "Serranias: Sketchbook For Piano Trio" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Pianist Aruan Ortiz hails from Santiago de Cuba, but he has resided in the United States for two decades. Musically he is a first cousin to pianist Matthew Shipp with his approachable and often intense and avant-garde keyboard style; and he seems a stylistic grandson to Thelonious Monk with his joyful angularities and off-kilter interludes. But he is the son of Cuba, his music mixing in a cubist way the island nation's toques, rumbas, son and conga, tinted at times ...

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Album Review

Jeremy Udden: Three in Paris

Read "Three in Paris" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Il poco più che quarantenne sassofonista statunitense Jeremy Udden presenta questo lavoro registrato a Parigi nell'agosto del 2018 alla testa di un trio nel quale è accompagnato da due eccellenti musicisti: il contrabbassista francese Nicolas Moreaux, notevole tecnica e collaborazioni importanti, e lo storico batterista americano, da decenni attivo in Francia, John Betsch. Una formazione, il trio senza pianoforte, che fu tra le predilette da Steve Lacy, per un breve periodo maestro di Udden e più volte collaboratore di Betsch, ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: John Betsch

Jazz Musician of the Day: John Betsch

Source: Michael Ricci


Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Serranias: Sketchbook...

Intakt Records
2023

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The Warmth of Our...

Swingin Back
2020

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Three in Paris

Sunnyside Records
2019

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Both sides of the...

Societatea de Concerte Bistrița
2016

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Subject to Change

About Time Records
1985

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