bio
“Beasley, the one-time keyboardist for Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, reflects a variety of generational influences, incorporating the emphatic chordal clusters of Herbie Hancock, the rhythmic quirkiness of Monk and the lush intelligence of Art Tatum into a highly refined personal voice.”
— Los Angeles Times
John Beasley - Pianist • Composer • Arranger • Producer • Music Director
Pianist, composer, and arranger John Beasley has built a career with accomplishments that bridge musical and visual media. An uncommonly versatile musician, he performed with jazz icons Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard in his 20s and has since collaborated with Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Chaka Khan, Kenny Garrett, and Stanley Clarke, among others.
He currently tours with Dianne Reeves, MONK’estra, and various European orchestras, while preparing three 2026 releases — Echoform, Secrets, and Unlimited Miles: Celebrating Miles Davis at 100 — supported by global tours.
Beasley’s acclaimed recordings include the GRAMMY®-winning MONK’estra trilogy, Returning to Forever, Bird Lives, El Trio: Live in Italy, and Positootly!. His work has earned two GRAMMY Awards, 14 nominations, two Latin GRAMMY nods, and an Edison Award.
As Music Director for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz since 2011, he leads International Jazz Day global gala concerts staged in cities from Istanbul and Havana to Osaka and Tangier. His musical direction for the Jazz at the White House broadcast earned an Emmy nomination.
He honed his MD craft with Steely Dan, Queen Latifah, A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and Chucho Valdés (La Creación), as well as on TV shows including American Idol and Duets (Kelly Clarkson/John Legend). Beasley spent a decade as Lead Arranger for American Idol and The Tonight Show with MD Rickey Minor.
In 2017, Beasley fulfilled a longtime dream by forming MONK’estra, a big band project showcasing his singular arranging voice. The trilogy of MONK’estra albums earned six consecutive GRAMMY® nominations and a win for Best Arrangement (“Donna Lee”). His music has been performed worldwide, including by student big bands.
Beasley has become an in-demand arranger-conductor for European jazz orchestras, conducting commissions for Frankfurt’s HR Big Band, Stuttgart’s SWR Big Band, Sweden’s Blue House Big Band, the Latvian Radio Big Band, and others across Europe and the U.S. His projects Somi: Holy Room, Bird Lives, and Returning to Forever earned five GRAMMY® nominations and an award. His Fado-jazz collaborations with Portuguese vocalist Maria Mendes and the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest received four GRAMMY® nominations, two Latin GRAMMY® nominations, and a Dutch Edison Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.
Beasley’s work as a composer and arranger extends far beyond jazz, arranging the music of Queen for the Luxembourg Philharmonic and the music of Rui Veloso, known as Portugual’s ‘rock star’ for a symphony band. His output remains prodigious with symphonic commissions for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Bielefeld Philharmonic. In 2024, he released three albums: Returning to Forever (a re-imagination of Chick Corea’s music), El Trio: Live in Italy (hailed by LatinJazz.net as “10 spectacular charts played beautifully”), and Butterfly Effect (a duo with Swedish saxophonist Magnus Lindgren, rated 4.5 stars by DownBeat).
When not touring, Beasley works on film and TV projects. He began composing for television at age 24, working for Paramount, Disney, and other studios on shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Cheers, and Fame. His performance and drum programming can be heard on many of Newman’s films, including Elemental, 1917, Spectre, Skyfall, Finding Dory, Get on Up (James Brown), and The Shawshank Redemption. Newman also invited Beasley to orchestrate and conduct MONK’estra in Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk, starring Meryl Streep.
A dedicated educator, Beasley conducts master classes worldwide and frequently works with intergenerational ensembles. He has written commissions for youth orchestras including the L.A. Philharmonic’s YOLA and Carnegie Hall’s NYO. In July 2024, he was appointed President of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC).
AWARDS Info:
2 GRAMMY® awards: both in “Best Arrangement” category
12 GRAMMY® nominations:
6 of 12 nominations: “Best Arrangement”
4 of 12 nominations: “Best Large Jazz Ensemble”
1 of 12 nomination: “Best solo” piano
1 of 12 nomination: “Best Instrumental Album” Positootly!
2 LATIN GRAMMY nominations: “Best Arrangement”
1 EMMY nomination is for “Best Musical Direction”
EDISON AWARD (Netherlands): “Best Jazz Vocal” Close to Me with Maria Mendes
KEY POSITIONS current / held:
President, International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers (ISJAC)
GRAMMY® Govenor (2 terms)
–Los Angeles Times
“John Beasley, the one-time keyboardist for Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, whose playing reflects a variety of generational influences, incorporating the emphatic chordal clusters of Herbie Hancock, the rhythmic quirkiness of Monk and the lush intelligence of Art Tatum into a highly refined personal voice.”
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SHORT BIO - John Beasley
Pianist, composer, and arranger John Beasley has built a genre-spanning career that bridges jazz, classical, pop, and film/TV music. A musical shapeshifter with deep jazz roots, he performed with Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard in his 20s and has since collaborated with Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Chaka Khan, A.R. Rahman, Chucho Valdés, and Steely Dan, among others.
Beasley’s acclaimed recordings include the GRAMMY®-winning MONK’estra trilogy, Returning to Forever, Bird Lives, El Trio: Live in Italy, and Positootly!. His work has earned two GRAMMY Awards, 14 nominations, two Latin GRAMMY nods, and an Edison Award.
As Music Director for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, he leads International Jazz Day global gala concerts staged in cities from Istanbul and Havana to Osaka and Tangier. His musical direction for the Jazz at the White House broadcast earned an Emmy nomination.
Beasley currently tours with Dianne Reeves, MONK’estra, and European orchestras, while preparing three 2026 releases — Echoform, Secrets, and Unlimited Miles: Celebrating Miles Davis at 100 — supported by global tours. When not touring, he collaborates with 15× Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman on film scores including Skyfall and Spectre.
Lorna @ JohnBeasleyMusic.com
“Beasley is a very clever arranger who works his charts hard, and this album is continuously surprising.
An ingenious interpreter of Monk [Beasley] conducts like Thad Jones”
“Beasley’s Monk’estra set was a dazzling display of fresh interpretations. The enlightening set closed with vigorous applause from the house.”
“MONK’estra brought the project thrillingly to life with their razor-sharp ensemble work and rhythmic authenticity… hip-hop merges with swing and sensuous Ellingtonia sits on a sparse contemporary pulse”
“John Beasley’s bold re-fashionings of Thelonious Monk once again hit the jackpot. Beasley’s not just breathing new life into Monk’s repertoire – he’s firing up the big band scene.”
“Beasley hits us dead center, features rapid-fire surprises, spiky asides and a quirky sense of truthful swing. Beasley’s band will leave you rapt. He brings Monk to life once again for modern-minded listeners.”