Serving the San Francisco Bay Area New Music Community

                    
John Schott
Guitarist, composer, teacher, human.
My early music training was courtesy of the Seattle Public Schools. During high school I was also able to take private lessons from the great Jazz bassist and composer Gary Peacock. I went to Cornish College of the Arts and studied with Bay Area ex-pats Roger Nelson, Thomasa Eckert, Janice Giteck, Jerry Granelli and Julian Priester. While studying classical composition in college, I was also playing Jazz gigs around the Seattle area. In 1988 I moved to Berkeley, and soon formed the band Planet Good, with Scott Amendola and Trevor Dunn, and then T.J. Kirk with Charlie Hunter and Will Bernard. T.J. Kirk got signed to a major label, released three records, and toured for a year or two. Meanwhile Junk Genius had formed, with Trevor, Ben Goldberg and Kenny Wollesen, and this group toured in Europe and released records on Knitting Factory and Songlines. Other people I played with during these years include the Rova Sax Quartet, John Zorn, Tom Waits, Ledisi, and Peter Apfelbaum. I have four records under my own name, on Tzadik, New World Recordings, and my own label Smash the State! In 2002 I taught for a year at UC Berkeley, including an upper-division seminar on Duke Ellington. I've been a frequent guest with the Paul Dresher Ensemble, including performances all over the United States of Steven Mackey and Rinde Eckert's opera Ravenshead. Other current bands include the Baguette Quartette, Sarah Wilson’s Kaleidoscope, and the Compositions of John Coltrane Band. My group The Actual Trio plays the first Sunday of every month at the Actual Café in Oakland.
Contact information:
Email: john (AT) johnschott (DOT) com
Photo Albums (click to view photos):
CDs on which John Schott appears:
ArtistTitleLabelNumber
John Schott's Dream Kitchen Drunken Songs For Sober Times
Artist: John Schott's Dream Kitchen
Title: Drunken Songs For Sober Times
Label: Smash The State!
Label page on this site: Smash The State!
Smash The State!
John Schott John Schott's Typical Orchestra
Artist: John Schott
Title: John Schott's Typical Orchestra
Label: Smash The State!
Label page on this site: Smash The State!
Smash The State!
Ben Goldberg Eight Phrases for Jefferson Rubin
Artist: Ben Goldberg
Title: Eight Phrases for Jefferson Rubin
Label: Les Disques Victo
Label page on this site: Les Disques Victo
Les Disques Victo
Junk Genius Junk Genius
Artist: Junk Genius
Title: Junk Genius
Label: Knitting Factory Works
Label page on this site: Knitting Factory Works
Knitting Factory Works
Ben Goldberg What Comes Before
Artist: Ben Goldberg
Title: What Comes Before
Label: Tzadik
Label page on this site: Tzadik
Tzadik
Ben Goldberg, John Schott, Trevor Dunn Almost Never
Artist: Ben Goldberg, John Schott, Trevor Dunn
Title: Almost Never
Label: Nuscope Recordings 1007
Label page on this site: Nuscope Recordings
Nuscope Recordings 1007
John Schott Shuffle Play: Elegies for the Recording Angel
Artist: John Schott
Title: Shuffle Play: Elegies for the Recording Angel
Label: New World Records 80548-2
Label page on this site: New World Records
New World Records 80548-2
John Schottt In These Great Times
Artist: John Schottt
Title: In These Great Times
Label: Tzadik
Label page on this site: Tzadik
Tzadik
Favorite Disks:
John Schott (07/29/2014)
Favorite Pieces By Elliott Carter!
Artist NameTitleDescription
E.C.Symphony of Three Orchestrasonly one recording: Boulez/NYP
E.C.Triple Duothe happiest atonal music?
E.C.Concerto for Orchestralast four minutes is delirium!
E.C.Syringatexts from ancient Greece and John Ashberry
E.C.What Next?opera
John Schott (07/29/2014)
A very partial list of CDs I love by local colleagues.
Artist NameTitleDescription
Dan PlonseyUnderstanding Human Behavioon Limited Sedition. I could pick many, many Plonsey CDs, they're all great.
Peter ApfelbaumLuminous CharmsGrammavision
Henry KaiserEverything Foreversolo guitar 2014
Ross HammondHumanity Suite2014
Lisa Mezzacappa TrioX Marks The Questionwith Chris Welcome and Mike Pride.
Vijay AndersonTouch and Go Sextet 
Rovaso many but the one I've listened to most is probably Beat Kennel 
John Schott (07/29/2014)
Solos I transcribed that changed my life.
Artist NameTitleDescription
Charlie ParkerKoko 
John ColtraneBlue Trane 
Miles Davis (John Coltrane)OleoPrestige label.
John ColtraneNumber Onefrom the CD re-issue of Expression
Lennie TristanoLine Upbased on "All of Me"
Pat MethenySolarfrom Question and Answer
Louis ArmstrongWeather Birdwith Earl Hines
Bud PowellDusk In Saudisolo, no improvisation
Coleman HawkinsShe's Funny That Wayfrom the same session as the famous Body and Soul (which I also transcribed!)
Thelonious MonkTheloniousBlue Note - where he goes into stride piano.
Lee KonitzAprilfrom Live At The Half Note
John Schott (07/29/2014)
Favorite Tracks from My Own Records
Artist NameTitleDescription
Junk GeniusGhost Of Electricitythe song "Gone Away"
John SchottShuffle PlayElegy: America
Dream KitchenSober Songs for Drunken TimesChantez-les Bas, featuring Richard Hadlock.
John SchottIn These Great Times1919, text by Jacob Glatshteyn
John SchottTypical OrchestraLos Angeles
John Schott (07/29/2014)
Favorite Simpsons Episodes
Artist NameTitleDescription
SimpsonsBart Trapped In A Well (Bart's Birthday)Homer gives Bart a "your voice coming out of the radio" microphone for his birthday. Features the allstar celebrity charity song "We're Sending Our Love Down The Well."
SimpsonsMarge and Duff Man having an affair?!? 
SimpsonsBaseball all-star team for Mr. Burns 
John Schott (07/29/2014)
Favorite Pieces By Arnold Schoenberg
Artist NameTitleDescription
Arnold SchoenbergPierrot Lunaire 
Arnold SchoenbergDrei Klavierstucke Op 11 
Arnold SchoenbergSerenade for Tenor and Seven Instruments, Op 24 
Arnold SchoenbergFive Pieces for Orchestra Op. 16 
Arnold SchoenbergString Trio 
Arnold SchoenbergViolin Concerto