Home » Member Page

John Yao

NYC based trombonist, composer, arranger, educator John Yao leads his own small groups and big band all of which feature his unique, forward-looking compositions.

About Me

For over a decade, John Yao’s adept talent as a trombonist, composer and arranger have helped cement his place on the New York City jazz scene. The New York Music Daily says Yao is a “tuneful, epically-inclined, cinematic trombonist.” As a trombonist, he has worked extensively as a sideman for Grammy-award winning ensembles such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and has also performed with Paquito D’Rivera, Billy Drewes, Rich Perry, Jon Irabagon, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Chris Potter and Kurt Elling among many others. As a composer, Yao has been commissioned to write works for professional ensembles such as the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Band of Bones to name a few as well as writing for his two bands - John Yao & His 17-piece Instrument and John Yao Quintet. Both projects feature his adventurous compositions. He has released three recordings as a leader and Downbeat called his most recent Quintet release Presence (See Tao Recordings) “Yao’s most searching release to date, the album is marked by greater openness and ensemble elasticity.” Yao currently is an adjunct faculty member at Molloy College and works as a teaching artist for the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. For more info visit www.johnyao.com

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because... I was first exposed to jazz... I met [musician name]... The best show I ever attended was... The first jazz record I bought was... My advice to new listeners... Or whatever else you have in mind.