John Beasley

JOHN BEASLEY
Pianist | Composer | Arranger | Producer | Music Director | Conductor | Educator
2x GRAMMY® Winner | 14x GRAMMY® Nominee | Emmy Nominee | 2x Latin GRAMMY Nominee | Steinway Artist
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John Beasley is a genre-defying pianist, composer, and arranger who got his start touring with Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and Sergio Mendes in his 20s. Since then, he’s worked with artists as diverse as Dianne Reeves, Steely Dan, Christian McBride, Chaka Khan, AR Rahman, Queen Latifah, and European jazz orchestras — while also serving as musical director for global concert events and TV shows and specials.

Recording Artist
As a bandleader and recording artist, John Beasley has released over 20 albums. His acclaimed MONK’estra trilogy—reimagining the music of Thelonious Monk—earned six consecutive GRAMMY® nominations and a win. Beasley continues to tour MONK’estra globally; the project has also become a favorite among student big bands. His signature arranging and composing style has made him a sought-after collaborator with leading jazz orchestras, resulting in GRAMMY-nominated albums such as Returning to Forever with the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Bird Lives with Stuttgart’s SWR Big Band, and two genre-blending Fado-jazz collaborations with Portuguese vocalist Maria Mendes and the Metropole Orkest. Other standout projects include the Afro-Cuban El Trio: Live in Italy and the saxophone–piano duo Butterfly Effect with Magnus Lindgren.

Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz
Beasley also serves as Music Director for the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, which presents UNESCO’s annual International Jazz Day global concerts and the prestigious Hancock Competition—whose past winners include Melissa Aldana, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Kris Bowers. His Emmy-nominated work for the 2016 White House jazz gala, hosted by President Barack Obama, capped a decade of globally broadcast concerts in cities from Havana to Osaka.

Composer/Arranger/Conductor
A sought-after arranger and composer, Beasley has written large-scale works for the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Bielefeld Philharmonic, and his award-winning symphonic piece Simplexity was performed by the Royal Symphony Orchestra Vienna. He was also handpicked by Chucho Valdés to co-arrange music for the pianist’s epic suite La Creación, which they performed together on tour across Europe. Beasley is recognized for his arrangements especially for the incomprable Dianne Reeves.

Film/TV
In film and television, Beasley has collaborated closely with 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman on scores for Skyfall, Spectre, 1917, and Finding Dory, and arranged music for Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk starring Meryl Streep. He also spent over a decade as Lead Arranger for American Idol and The Tonight Show.

Tour
On tour, Beasley appears in a variety of formats—from solo piano and trio settings to conducting his arrangements with international jazz orchestras. In 2026, he will debut Unlimited Miles, an all-star sextet reimagining the music of Miles Davis for contemporary audiences. The project includes a bold reinterpretation of Marcus Miller’s iconic productions for Miles (Tutu, Amandla) for big band, performed by the Metropole Orkest.

Educator:
An educator at heart, Beasley shares his passion with young musicians worldwide, including commissions for Carnegie Hall’s NYO and LA Philharmonic’s YOLA.
New albums are on the horizon in 2026 — stay tuned.

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“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.” –Los Angeles Times

"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. –Downbeat 5 stars

‘'John Beasley’s bold refashionings 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.” –BBC Music Magazine