John Lester

Bio:

.. 2010 SHOWS:

March 12: LONDON, ENGLAND
   Singer-Songwriters In The Round
   w/Mark Aaron James, Steve Lawson, and Emily Baker
   venue: The Forge, Caponata Room
   address: 3-7 Delancey Street, London, NW1 7NL
   show: 21.00 to 23.30
   contact: 020 7 383 7808

March 14: LONDON, ENGLAND
   *UK 50th BIRTHDAY SHOW*
   Jazz Quartet featuring:
   Theo Travis (sax), Steve Lodder (piano) & Davide Giovannini (drums)
..    venue: The 606 Club
   address: 90 Lots Road, Chelsea, London, SW10 0QD
   doors/dinner: 19.00, show: 20:30 two sets
   reservation/contact: 020 7352 5953

March 20: AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS
   *NETHERLANDS 50th BIRTHDAY SHOW*
   venue: Zaal 100
   address: De Wittenkade 100, Amsterdam
   music starts at: 20.00, **my set is at about 20.30
   event: Monty Pagans Sprinq Equinox with other artists Oi Polloi,
      Robin Nolan, Vinsky Project, and more

April 7: BERKELEY, CA, USA
   *USA 50th BIRTHDAY SHOW & BASSO TRIO REUNION*
   with Bob Johnson (sax) and Steve Rossi (drums)
   venue: Jupiter
   address: 2181 Shattuck Avenue,Berkeley, CA 94704
   showtime: 8pm

May 28, DEVIZES, ENGLAND
   Jazz Trio w/Steve Lodder (piano) and Theo Travis (sax)
   venue: The Cellar Bar at The Bear Hotel
   address: Market Place, Devizes, Wiltshire
   showtime: 21.00 to 23.00

May 30: KINGSTON (SW LONDON), ENGLAND
   Jazz Quartet featuring:
   Theo Travis (sax), Steve Lodder (piano) & Davide Giovannini (drums)
..    venue: Boaters Jazz at Boaters Inn
   address: Canbury Park, Lower Ham Rd., Kingston, KT2 5AU
   showtime: 8:30pm to 10:30pm
   contact: 020 8541 4672

November 12: BRUGGS, SWITZERLAND
   Double bill European Tour
   w/Paul Tiernan
   venue: tba
   address: tba
   show: 20.00 to 23.00
   contact: tba

Nov 14: BERLIN (FROHNU), GERMANY
   Double bill European Tour
   w/Paul Tiernan
   venue: Kulturhaus Centre Bagatelle, Zeltinger Str. 6
   time: 16.00 (afternoon show)
   tickets/contact: 030 868 701 668

November 19: BADEN, SWITZERLAND
   Double bill European Tour
   w/Paul Tiernan
   venue: Prima Vista
   address: tba
   show: 19.00 to 23.00
   contact: tba

November 20: BASEL, SWITZERLAND
   Double bill European Tour
   w/Paul Tiernan
   venue: Parterre
   address: tba
   show: 20.00 to 23.00
   contact: tba

November 21: LAUFFEN, GERMANY
   Double bill European Tour
   w/Paul Tiernan
   venue: Phoenix
   address: tba
   show: 20.00 to 23.00
   contact: tba

Each of my three CDs are available for sale and download using the following links or you can also visit my website:

JohnLesterMusic.com

SO MANY REASONS
BIG DREAMS AND THE BOTTOM LINE
LIVE AT THE FREIGHT AND SALVAGE

SO MANY REASONS
BIG DREAMS AND THE BOTTOM LINE



“…he can even work minor miracles and make a bass solo sound interesting!”
-Jazzwise Magazine (UK)

“…life pondering lyrics and a cosmopolitan sense of humor.”
-Americana-uk.com

“A gifted double bass player… and fine singer-songwriter,
with a rich smokey voice …excellent!”
-Time Out London

“Lester’s USP is his supreme mastery of all possible varieties
of bass guitar and his use of them as lead instruments
…his understated virtuosity demands attention.”
-Maverick Magazine (CD review), UK

“Lester has assembled a stellar cast of musicians to help bring his songs to life and it is here that the album stands out from allot of other ‘bass’ albums”
-Bass Guitar Magazine, UK

"A unique blend of jazz and original material from a world class singer/songwriter whose talent and experience make every gig special.
One of the finest exponents of this art form on the scene today
-Steve Rubie, venue owner, The 606 Club, London

“A bassist and singer extraordinaire, Lester is a rare talent who mixes fine songwriting skills with a husky voice that communicates wisdom far
beyond his years”.
-Good Times Magazine (USA)

“That Lester is doing it on his own is remarkable, that he can stand in the company of Ben Harper and Sting, often outshining them both, is nothing short of a revelation…biting lyricism that cuts quick and deep.”
-Logo Magazine (UK)

“Best lyrical commentary of 2003.” [‘Out of the Clear Blue Sky’]
-Radioio.com/acoustic

“John Lester doesn't just have a great voice, he is a voice!
Great songs that really communicate.”
-KPFA, Berkeley, California

“No, he is not - you might be relieved to know - yet another guitarist
armed with three chords and (their version of) the truth.”
-Folkworld Magazine (GERMANY)

“The music of John Lester has it’s own unmistakable style,
drawing from the best of jazz, folk, and blues.”
-3VOOR12 (THE NETHERLANDS)

"His bass/vocal approach is intriguing and innovative but never gets in the way of the song itself. Genre-defying music."
-Gretchen Peters, Grammy nominated Nashville songwriter

“There is a relaxed riff running through everything, like a jazzy Van Morrison stripped down to the essentials, and the primarily bass accompaniment eases you in, settles you down and gently tells you a poetic story.”
-Ace (UK)

“…a very powerful voice, the sound of absolute clarity.”
-Cinema Musique (FRANCE)

“John Lester evokes comparison to such modern minded contemporaries as Seal, Ben Harper, and Sting with his strong melodies and deep harmonies accented by the bassist's bright overtones and jazz inspired counterpoint.”
-musicworkz.co.uk/jamm

"It's a real treat to hear such a fresh take on the singer-songwriter concept."
-Michael Manring, award winning solo bassist

“A voice like a 2am top shelf scotch.”
-venue owner, Portland, Oregon

Member Since:

July 31, 2006

Members:

SINGER-SONGWRITER/ACOUSTIC:

When I play SOLO, it's me, Sarah my upright bass, and a collection of bass guitars, a loop recorder, and sometimes my Spanish nylon string acoustic guitar (if I can carry it all).

JAZZ:

The SAN FRANCISCO TRIO is myself with Bob Johnson on sax and either Steve Rossi or Celso Alberti on drums.

My AMSTERDAM QUARTET features pianist Bas Van Lier.

My UK QUARTET is with Theo Travis on sax/flute, Steve Lodder on piano, and Davide Giovannini or Roy Dodds on drums.

My GERMANY TRIO features Stephan Olfers on saxophone and Jens Ulrich Otto on drums.

Influences:

Sounds Like:

Make sure to press stop on the music player above before starting video

Solo performance of "I Saw You" at the Rochefort en Accords Festival, Rochefort France (August 2007): ..

Playing "So Many Reasons" at the Rochefort en Accords Festival, France (August 2006) with guest guitarists Paul Tiernan and Darden Smith:


Solo performance of "Beware La Merde" at the Rochefort en Accords Festival (August 2006):



SOLO BASS/VOCAL/SONGWRITER PERFOMANCES:

When I was in my mid-thirties I discovered, quite by accident, my solo bass and vocal ‘show’. At the heart of the music is my 90 year old upright bass, Sarah. The first time I ever sang and played one of my songs with just her at my side was at a little club in San Francisco called the Hotel Utah in 1995. I sang a simple blues number at an open mic and the enthusiastic reaction from the audience became the catalyst for my continuing to pursue my solo performance career. Being a bassist, I had previously only performed in bands.

Sarah and I have now played throughout the US, and recently in England, France, Luxembourg, Germany, and The Netherlands, where I now live. I have played solo support shows for some artists whom I respect very much including Patti Smith, Gretchen Peters, and Jools Holland. I was a featured artist at European Bass Day 2004, played on an all bass UK tour with Michael Manring and Steve Lawson, and was featured at UK Bass Day in 2005.

2006 became my busiest year ever with four UK tours and shows throughout Europe. I debuted my jazz quartet at Londons famous 606 Club as well as playing solo shows at festivals and acoustic music venues.

In early 2007 I released my third CD "So Many Reasons" in the UK. It was released in the US on September 4th followed by a short US tour; two San Francisco double bill shows with the amazing solo bassist Michael Manring, a Nashville gig 'in-the-round' at the world famous Bluebird Cafe with Gretchen Peters, Craig Caruthers, and Don Henry, and also two New York City shows at The Living Room and The Bitter End.

In 2008 I continued to tour Europe returning to France, Switzerland, Germany, and playing here in The Netherlands.

As 2009 starts I am focusing on shows in and around Amsterdam and have started recording my fourth CD, to be released this coming Fall.

All 3 of my CDs are available at CDbaby:
SO MANY REASONS
BIG DREAMS AND THE BOTTOM LINE
LIVE AT THE FREIGHT AND SALVAGE

My 2 studio CDs are available for download at iTunes:
SO MANY REASONS
BIG DREAMS AND THE BOTTOM LINE

Each recording features a few solo pieces in the way that a singer-songwriter-guitarist might have a few ‘acoustic’ tunes. For me, it’s just my vocal and one of my basses.

Besides Sarah, I play 4, 5, and 6 string electric fretted and fretless basses, as well as acoustic bass guitar and acoustic guitar. My live performances also include using loop recorders to create live tracks using only my instruments and voice.

JAZZ:

In the late 90’s I put together a jazz trio featuring saxophonist Bob Johnson and drummer Steve Rossi for gigs in the San Francisco Bay Area. As well as my more jazz oriented songs, we performed instrumental jazz compositions ranging from choice standards to progressive modern instrumental compositions. The bass/vocal, sax, and drums format allowed me to make the trio an extension of my solo bass/vocal show with a strong emphasis on improvisation.

I still work with Bob and Steve when I return for San Francisco Bay Area shows and they are both featured on my new CD release “So Many Reasons”. In England, I now work with London sax/flutist Theo Travis, also featured on the new CD, pianist Steve Lodder, and drummers Davide Giovannini or Roy Dodds. I recently started up a trio in Germany with Stephan Olfers on saxophone and Jens Ulrich Otto on drums. I am currently working in my new hometown of Amsterdam with pianist Bas van Lier.

For more info, please visit: JohnLesterMusic.com

Record Label:

Midnight Café Records/Proper Distribution