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John Yao
About Me
Owing to his versatility as a trombonist, composer, and arranger, Yao has enjoyed a steady
rise on the New York City jazz scene since arriving from his native Chicago in 2005. He has
worked extensively as a sideman for such iconic bands as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and
the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, both of which have had great influence on John as artistic
director, conductor and composer/arranger of the Yaozeki Big Band. Separately, his small
ensemble, John Yao Quintet, released its début recording In the Now in April 2012 on Innova
Recordings. He received his Bachelors of Music, Jazz Studies from Indiana University and his
Masters of Jazz Performance/Composition from Queens College. He has performed with the
Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and the Glenn
Miller Orchestra.
For more information check out www.johnyao.com
My Jazz Story
I love jazz because of the fact that it's based on improvisation and interaction, which allows for a completely different musical experience every time.