John Betsch
Encyclopedia
Betsch began on percussion at age nine, and attended Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. After playing in organ trios, he released an album as a leader, Earth Blossom, in 1975. That year he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he played with Marion Brown
Marion Brown
Marion Brown was a jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai...
, Paul Jeffrey
Paul Jeffrey
Paul Jeffrey is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and educator born in New York City. Perhaps best known for performing with Thelonious Monk from 1970–1975, Jeffrey also worked with musicians including Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Lionel Hampton, B.B...
, Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, Jeanne Lee
Jeanne Lee
Jeanne Lee was an American jazz singer, poet and composer. Best known for a wide range of vocal styles she mastered, Lee collaborated with numerous distinguished composers and performers which included Gunter Hampel, Ran Blake, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, and many...
and Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
. Between 1977 and 1979 he joined Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim
Abdullah Ibrahim , born Adolph Johannes Brand, 9 October 1934 in Cape Town, South Africa, and formerly known as Dollar Brand, is a South African pianist and composer...
's ensemble, and from 1980 to 1982 he was with Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp
Archie Shepp is a prominent African-American jazz saxophonist. Shepp is best known for his passionately Afrocentric music of the late 1960s, which focused on highlighting the injustices faced by the African-Americans, as well as for his work with the New York Contemporary Five, Horace Parlan, and...
's band which featured Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, piano, Santi Debriano
Santi Debriano
Santi Wilson Debriano is a jazz bassist.Debriano was raised in Brooklyn, having moved there with his family at age four. He studied composition at Union College in New York, then attended the New England Conservatory of Music and Wesleyan University...
, bass and Roger Dawson
Roger Dawson
Roger Dawson is a jazz percussionist, conga drummer, bandleader and jazz composer. He was a leading jazz and salsa disc jockey in the USA and acknowledged as at the forefront of New York's Salsa music explosion of the seventies and early eighties...
, congas and percussion. In 1983 he recorded with Roger Dawson
Roger Dawson
Roger Dawson is a jazz percussionist, conga drummer, bandleader and jazz composer. He was a leading jazz and salsa disc jockey in the USA and acknowledged as at the forefront of New York's Salsa music explosion of the seventies and early eighties...
's septet featuring Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, reedman John Purcell
John Purcell
John Purcell VC was an Irish soldier in the British Army who received the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, trumpeter Claudio Roditi
Claudio Roditi
Claudio Roditi is a Brazilian jazz trumpeter.After arriving in the United States in 1970, he began to study at Berklee School of Music, where he became musically influenced by Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan...
, bassist Anthony Cox
Anthony Cox (musician)
Anthony Cox is an American jazz bass player.Played with: Geri Allen, Dewey Redman, Dave Douglas, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Gary Thomas, Marty Ehrlich, Ed Blackwell, Joe Lovano, Dave King, and others.Lives and plays in Minnesota....
and multi percussionist Milton Cardona. Following this he was a member of quartets led by Marty Cook
Marty Cook
Marty Cook is an American jazz trombonist.Cook was born in New York and raised in Ohio, where he began playing trombone at age seven. He played in New York in the late 1960s, recording with Marzette Watts in 1968. He played in a rock band in California from 1971–72 and then returned to New York,...
.
Since 1985 he has lived in Europe, playing with Jim Pepper
Jim Pepper
Jim Pepper was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and singer of Native American ancestry.-Biography:...
and Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
as well as in a band with his wife, French pianist Claudine François. In the 1990s he played in a group with Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
, and with Özay Fecht
Özay Fecht
-Filmography:-Television:-Discography:* 1985: No More* 1988: Moves with Doug Hammond* 1995: Antiquated Love-External links:...
and in a trio with Elvira Plenar and Peter Kowald
Peter Kowald
Peter Kowald was a German free jazz musician.A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with a large number of European free jazz and American free-jazz players during his career, including Peter Brötzmann, Irène Schweizer, Karl Berger, Fred...
. He has done other recordings with Thomas Chapin
Thomas Chapin
Thomas Chapin was an American composer and saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist. Though primarily an alto saxophonist, he also played sopranino saxophone and various flutes....
, Marilyn Crispell
Marilyn Crispell
Marilyn Crispell is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Crispell studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been a resident of Woodstock, NY since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger's Creative Music Studio...
, Klaus König, Billy Bang
Billy Bang
Billy Bang was an American free jazz violinist and composer.-Biography:...
, Sathima Benjamin, Uli Lenz
Uli Lenz
Uli Lenz is a German composer, pianist, and producer creating music in the modern jazz genre.- Background :Born in Frankfurt am Main, he began taking piano lessons at the age of four. In the seventies he studied music composition for classical Piano and Cello at Dr...
and Simon Nabatov
Simon Nabatov
Simon Nabatov is a jazz pianist.He began playing at three and his first composition was at six. He began his professional career in Rome in 1979 and later attended the Juilliard School. In 1984 Keyboard Magazine named him Best Pianist. In 1989 he left New York City, where he had settled, for Cologne...
.
As leader
- 1974: Earth Blossum (John Betsch Society - Ed "Lump" Williams, Phil Royster, Billy Pruett, Jim Bridges, Bob Holmes - Strata-East RecordsStrata-East RecordsStrata-East Records is an American record label specialising in jazz which was founded in 1971 by Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver.Gil Scott-Heron recorded his 1974 album Winter in America with Brian Jackson for Strata-East. "The Bottle" featured on the album, was a popular single...
)
As sideman
With Billy BangBilly Bang
Billy Bang was an American free jazz violinist and composer.-Biography:...
- The Fire from WithinThe Fire from WithinThe Fire from Within is an album by the American jazz violinist Billy Bang recorded in 1984 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note, 1984)
With Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
- AnthemAnthem (Steve Lacy album)Anthem is an album by Steve Lacy released on the Arista Novus label in 1990. It features five of Lacy's compositions with texts by Osip Mandelstam and Mary Frazee performed by Lacy, Bobby Few, Steve Potts, Jean-Jacques Avenel, John Betsh, Sam Kelly, Glenn Ferris, La Velle and Irene...
(Arista/Novus, 1990) - RevenueRevenue (album)Revenue is an album by soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded in 1993 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Chris Kelsey awarded the album 4½ stars stating "This music is a fine example of what happens when a visionary musician makes something extending and...
(Soul Note, 1993) - VespersVespers (album)Vespers is an album by soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy recorded in 1993 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "lots of interesting tone colors and harmonies and consistently stimulating solos.....
(Soul Note, 1993) - Monk's DreamMonk's Dream (Steve Lacy album)Monk's Dream is an album by Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd released on the Verve label in 2000. It features performances by Lacy, Rudd, Jean-Jacques Avenel, John Betsch and Irene Aebi's vocals on two tracks.-Reception:...
(Verve, 2000)
With Uli Lenz
Uli Lenz
Uli Lenz is a German composer, pianist, and producer creating music in the modern jazz genre.- Background :Born in Frankfurt am Main, he began taking piano lessons at the age of four. In the seventies he studied music composition for classical Piano and Cello at Dr...
- Good-bye Venus (Tutu 2005)
With David Murray
David Murray (jazz musician)
David Murray is an American jazz musician. Murray plays mainly tenor saxophone and sometimes bass clarinet. He has recorded prolifically for many record labels since the mid-1970s.-Biography:...
- Flowers Around ClevelandFlowers Around ClevelandFlowers Around Cleveland is an album by David Murray released on the French Bleu Regard label. It was released in 1995 and features seven quartet performances by Murray with Bobby Few, John Betsch, and Jean Jacques Avenel.-Reception:...
(Bleu Regard, 1995)
With Simon Nabatov
Simon Nabatov
Simon Nabatov is a jazz pianist.He began playing at three and his first composition was at six. He began his professional career in Rome in 1979 and later attended the Juilliard School. In 1984 Keyboard Magazine named him Best Pianist. In 1989 he left New York City, where he had settled, for Cologne...
- Inside Lookin' Out (Tutu 1989)
With Jim Pepper
Jim Pepper
Jim Pepper was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and singer of Native American ancestry.-Biography:...
- RemembranceRemembranceRemembrance is the act of remembering, the ability to remember or a memorial. It may refer to:-Events:*:Category:Remembrance days**Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice, a commemorative day observed by Argentina...
(Tutu 1990) - Live at New Morning, Paris (Tutu 1999)
With Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
- When Was That?When Was That?When Was That? is an album by Henry Threadgill released on the About Time label in 1982. The album and features five of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Craig Harris, Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins, Brian Smith, Pheeroan akLaff and John Betsch.The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek states...
(About Time, 1982)
With Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
- Mal, Dance and SoulMal, Dance and SoulMal, Dance and Soul is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1987 and first released on the German Tutu label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.-Track listing:# "Dancing on the Flames" — 9:34...
(Tutu, 1987) - No More Tears (For Lady Day)No More Tears (For Lady Day)No More Tears is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in West Germany and released on the Dutch Timeless label.-Reception:...
(Timeless, 1988) - Quadrologue at UtopiaQuadrologue at UtopiaQuadrologue at Utopia is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron featuring Jim Pepper recorded in 1989 and released on the German Tutu label.-Reception:Allmusic awarded the album 3 stars.-Track listing:# "Ticket to Utopia" — 20:31...
(Tutu, 1989) - More Git' Go at UtopiaMore Git' Go at UtopiaMore Git' Go at Utopia is a live album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron featuring Jim Pepper recorded in 1989 and released on the German Tutu label.-Track listing:# "More Git' Go at Utopia" — 20:43...
(Tutu 1989) - Spring in PragueSpring in PragueSpring in Prague is an album by jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1990 and released on the Japanese Alfa Jazz label.-Track listing:# "Revolution" – 6:05# "East of the Sun" – 7:57# "Let us Live - dedicated to East-Germany" – 6:12...
(Alfa Jazz, 1990)