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Jon Ballantyne (born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada) is a pianist and composer who resides in the New York area. [1]
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Ballantyne began playing the piano at an early age and started formal lessons at six. His father, Fred, is a pianist, and both of his parents are jazz enthusiasts who introduced him to recordings by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Duke Ellington.
He studied classical piano and played in a garage band during his teenage years. Additionally, he played the tenor saxophone and piano in high school concerts and stage bands at City Park Collegiate Institute in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Ballantyne received a scholarship to North Texas State University, where he attended from 1982 to 1985 and played in the One O'clock Lab Band. In the fall of 1987, he joined the Woody Herman Thundering Herd and later re-joined the band in the late 1990s for various tours in Europe and the United Kingdom.
During the 1990s, he participated in afternoon jam sessions with musicians such as Seamus Blake, Bill Carrothers, Phil Haynes, Donny McCaslin, and others, many of whom were his neighbors.
Ballantyne has conducted educational clinics at institutions including Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Northern Colorado, McGill University, University of Toronto, Concordia University, and University of Saskatchewan.
From 1999 to 2006, he led a quartet featuring bassist Boris Kozlov, drummer Jeff Hirshfield, and saxophonist/bass clarinetist Douglas Yates, as well as a trio with Drew Gress and Gene Jackson. He also toured as a solo pianist in the 1990s, 2000s, and most recently in 2014.
In 2013, Ballantyne toured Canada with the Alan Jones Canadian All Star Sextet, which included notable musicians such as Seamus Blake and Ingrid Jensen. He frequently performs at prominent jazz clubs in the Northeastern U.S., including The Deer Head Inn, Small's, Zinc Bar, Cleopatra's Needle, Mezzrow, and Chris's Jazz Cafe. In early 2023, he performed multiple times with the Bill Goodwin Trio at Mezzrow Jazz Club in New York.
Currently, Ballantyne plays in the Bill Goodwin Trio (with bassist Evan Gregor), The Parker Trio (with drummer Adam Nussbaum and bassist Gene Perla), and tenor saxophonist Dan Wilkins' quartet. He also collaborates with guitarist Bill Washer in a duo called the "Mode for Joe Duo," which features the music of Joe Henderson. A live recording of this duo is set to be released in Spring 2024 on the Deer Head Records label, followed by a new trio album titled "Trio It Is" in Summer 2024 on Vector Disc Records, featuring Bill Goodwin and Evan Gregor as a follow-up to their acclaimed 2017 album.
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987* | Trio Jon Ballantyne | Jazzimage | with Terry Clarke, Drums; Jim Vivian, Bass. *JUNO Award Nominated [2] | |
| 1988 | Sky Dance | Justin Time | Quartet, with Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Neil Swainson (bass), Jerry Fuller (drums) *JUNO Award Winner [2] | |
| 1991 | A Musing | Justin Time | Some tracks solo piano; most tracks duo, with Paul Bley (piano); some tracks duo with Dave Laing (drums) | |
| 1994 | The Loose | Justin Time | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Billy Hart (drums) | |
| 1995 | Trio Live | NY Jam | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Billy Hart (drums) | |
| 1997 | Known/Unknown | NY Jam | Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Gene Jackson (drums) | |
| 2000* | Round Again | NY Jam | ||
| 2005 | 4tets + Dewey Redman | Real Artist Works | With Douglas Yates, Jeff Hirshfield, Gene Jackson, Boris Kozlov; Dewey Redman (sax) added on some tracks | |
| 2002 | "The Banff Session" | Real Artist Works | With Boris Kozlov, Hugh Sicotte | |
| 2006* | Avenue Standard | Real Artist Works | Solo Piano *JUNO Award Winner [3] | |
| 2006 | Ever Since Now | Real Artist Works | Solo Piano | |
| 2012* | Twenty Accident Free Workdays | Real Artist Works | With Hugh Sicotte *JUNO AwardNominated [4] | |
| 2016 | "Live at Porter's" (*Unreleased, 2024 release imminent) | with Bill Goodwin, Drums; Tony Marino, Bass: Jon Ballantyne, Electric Piano | ||
| 2017 | "Trio" | Vector Disc Records | With Bill Goodwin, leader, drums; Evan Gregor, bass | |
| 2020 | "Duaxis" | Real Artist Works | With Devin Gray | |
| 2021 | "The Parker Trio" | PM Records | with Gene Perla, Adam Nussbaum | |
| 2024 | "The Mode for Joe Duo, Live at the Deer Head Inn" | Deer Head Records | Bill Washer, Jon Ballantyne | |
| 2024 | "Trio It Is" | Vector Disc Records (to be released Fall of 2024) | with Bill Goodwin, Drums; Evan Gregor, Bass |
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