Jon Cleary To Release New Album ‘The Bywater Sessions’ and Drops New Single ‘So Damn Good’

New Orleans Legend Jon Cleary To Release New Album ‘The Bywater Sessions” and Drops New Single “So Damn Good”

After thirty-five years of being at the forefront of the ever-evolving musical landscape of New Orleans, Grammy Award winner Jon Cleary decided to bring that sound back home, both figuratively and literally. He assembled his Absolute Monster Gentlemen (his acclaimed all-star big band) in his home studio in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, drew up a setlist of some of his most beloved songs– and some new favorites– and rolled tape.

“We set out to capture that sound in the old-fashioned way: everybody in the room, playing together,” Cleary explains.

The result is The Bywater Sessions, a musical tour-de-force that showcases the grit, funk and joy that’s packed concert halls from New Orleans to Tokyo and beyond. Co-produced by Cleary and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Taj Mahal), it’s a stunning collection of performances that affirms Cleary’s place in the New Orleans musical vanguard. The Bywater Sessions are set to release on April 25th via Well Kept Secret.

“So Damn Good”

 
“There’s a lot to be said for the ‘lean and mean’ sound of a piano trio, stripped down to basics, simple and direct,” Cleary says. “But recently, I’ve been experimenting with different combinations; adding horns, guitar, percussion and even another keyboard player. This expanded line-up has allowed the arrangements to blossom in new directions.”

As for the musicians, it’s the best of the best. Long time Monster Gentlemen Cornell Williams and A.J. Hall anchor the band on bass and drums, respectively. They are joined by Nigel Hall (Lettuce) on Hammond organ, Pedro Segundo (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars) on percussion, Xavier Lynn (MonoNeon, Ledisi) on guitar, and an all-star horn section of Aaron Narcisse (Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra), Charlie Halloran (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Preservation Hall All Stars) and Jason Mingledorff (Galactic).

“Sophisticated, nasty, good-time, low-down funk is the folk music of New Orleans,” Cleary says. “Everyone playing on this recording is a New Orleanian by birth or by choice, having learned their craft at the feet of the masters who in turn were taught by the old lions in their day – it’s a tradition stretching back over two hundred years. The roots go deep, but each generation, growing up with street parades and second-lines, absorbs the old and introduces the new, gently coaxing the essential essence into and out of each succeeding decade.”

It’s an apt description of Cleary’s career thus far. Born in London and on a plane to New Orleans before he turned twenty years old, he grew up absorbed by the sounds and rhythms of the Crescent City. His mastery of the city’s music landed him gigs playing as a session musician in the bands of local legends Earl King, Johnny Adams, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Snooks Eaglin, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill– and as a guitarist for Dr. John. He later toured extensively with icons like Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal. His solo career began in earnest in 1989 and includes beloved records like their self-titled band debut and his 2015 Grammy winner, Go-Go Juice.

In fact, his first job in New Orleans was as a painter at beloved local club the Maple Leaf Bar, and it wasn’t long until he was playing piano in that very room. To this day, he and his band continue to pack that room to crowds that gather from around the world, playing their unique and ever-evolving take on New Orleans funk and R&B.

“These grooves are not museum pieces, they are alive, breathing and fresh – and that’s why joints like Tipitina’s, The Maple Leaf Bar and Chickie Wah Wah are always packed when the locals, young and old, come out to hear the Gentlemen do they thang,” Cleary proudly adds.

On The Bywater Sessions, the band that Rolling Stone’s David Fricke called “as broad, deep and rolling as the Mississippi river” is finally captured as intended– live, in the room and as funky as ever. And with that comes an invitation from Cleary himself:

“Close your eyes, imagine you’re in the room with us, me and the band, Mike Dorsey the engineer, John Porter the producer and Reed the manager. Turn it up and enjoy the experience. I hope you have as much fun listening as we did playing.”

JON CLEARY & THE ABSOLUTE MONSTER GENTLEMEN 2025 TOUR DATES:

Feb 26 Wed – Tipitina’s Uptown – New Orleans, LA
Mar 7 Fri – Maple Leaf – New Orleans, LA
Mar 14 Fri – NOLA Funk Fest 2025 @ Tipitina’s – New Orleans, LA
Mar 15 Sat – Maple Leaf – New Orleans, LA
Mar 16 Sun – The Midland Theatre – Kansas City, MO (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Mar 18 Tue – Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts – Springfield, MO (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Mar 19 Wed – Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center – Wichita, KS (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Mar 22 Sat – Maple Leaf – New Orleans, LA
Mar 23 Sun – AT&T Performing Arts Center – Dallas, TX (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Apr 1 Tue – University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab – Edmond, OK
Apr 3 Thu – Space – Evanston, IL
Apr 12 Sat – French Quarter Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
Apr 13 Sun – Tipitina’s Uptown – New Orleans, LA
Apr 24 Thu – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
Apr 25 – The Broadside – New Orleans
Apr 27 – Good Measure – New Orleans
Apr 28 Mon – WWOZ Piano Night – New Orleans, LA
May 1 Thu – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
May 3 – The Maple Leaf – New Orleans
May 5 – Louisiana Music Factory – New Orleans
May 6 Tue – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium – Shreveport, LA (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 7 Wed – Robinson Center – Little Rock, AR (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 9 Fri – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis, TN (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 10 Sat – Iroquois Amphitheater – Louisville, KY (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jun 1 Sun – Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest 2025 – Augusta, NJ
Jul 22 Tue – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jul 23 Wed – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Jul 24 Thu – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
Sep 4 Thu – Big Blues Bender 2025 – Las Vegas, NV
Dec 6 Sat – Johnson’s Boucaniere – Lafayette, LA
[more dates to be announced]

Jon Cleary website