Jon Dryden

Biography
Articles

Jon Dryden is a pianist/keyboardist/composer currently residing in Northern California. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music and moved to Brooklyn, NY, where he spent nineteen years as a professional musician. He performed or recorded with Norah Jones, David Byrne. Regina Carter, Lenny White, Natalie Merchant, Paula Cole, Michal Urbaniak, Charlie Louvin, Gaby Moreno, Madeline Peyroux, Sara Ramirez, and many others. Dryden appeared on The Chappelle Show and contributed music to film and television. He has released three piano trio albums, all recorded in New York: Some of My Lies Are True (2026), Trio (2022), and Memento Mori (2020). Trio and Some of My Lies Are True were produced by Grammy- winning singer-songwriter Jesse Harris. Dryden is currently an adjunct professor and lecturer of Jazz Studies at San Jose State University and Santa Clara University. Dryden is also the author of two books: Reading Lead Sheets and The Pro Keyboardist’s Handbook, both published by Alfred Music. He performs regularly in Northern California, New York, and Europe.

Juliet Varnedoe: Cajun Bleu

Read "Cajun Bleu" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
September 13, 2022

New York City vocalist Juliet Varnedoe has developed a keen feel for the collective music of New Orleans. Her first single from her self produced 2022 release Cajun Blue, “Mon Chéri" revealed an international approach to the regional music that freely mixed Dixieland with zydeco, the blues, and sleek Caribbean sounds, creating a languid, humid and organic breeze. On her follow-up single, “Sing High Sing Low," Varnedoe swerves hard into the direction of zydeco, taking full advantage of ...

Album Review

Juliet Varnedoe: Cajun Blue

Read "Cajun Blue" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
January 21, 2022

New York based singer songwriter Juliet Varnedoe has a plan. She has developed a New Orleans themed recording, Cajun Blue, which is to be released later this year, a collection of eight original blues and jazz songs combining the disparate influences of King Oliver Creole Band, the classical French chanson as realized by Blossom Dearie and Juliette Greco, with an alchemic shot of the cool scintillating vibe of Serge Gainsborough. In preparation for the delivery of Cajun Blue, Varnedoe is ...