One can hear many influences in Bishop's playing, including more than a touch of Elvin, but he is clearly an original voice...
As a drummer, educator, record label owner, graphic designer, publisher, and festival presenter, John Bishop has been one of the primary voices in Northwest Jazz for over 40 years. He has performed in concerts and clubs with Hal Galper, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, Benny Golson, Jessica Williams, Ernestine Anderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Julian Priester, Buddy DeFranco, Sonny Fortune, and countless others. He's appeared on more than 100 albums, was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame in 2008, and was named a "Jazz Hero" by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2019.
Bishop recorded 7 albums and toured internationally with the late New York pianist Hal Galper's Trio from 2006-2020. Other ongoing projects include: SCENES, a 25-year-old group with saxophonist Rick Mandyck, guitarist John Stowell & bassist Jeff Johnson, and the Chad McCullough & Bram Weijters Group, a Belgian/American project, for over a decade. His 2023 release, "Antwerp," features Bram Weijters on piano and bassist Piet Verbist.
"...Antwerp stands out as a blue-ribbon piano trio album, certainly one of the year's finest.." - ALL ABOUT JAZZ
For 20 years, he was a member of the piano trio New Stories along with pianist Marc Seales and bassist Doug Miller. They had 4 CDs of their own, 6 with the late be-bop saxophonist Don Lanphere, and a Grammy-nominated RCA recording with Mark Murphy. They were a house trio for 17 years at Bud Shank's Pt. Townsend Jazz Festival, headlined the 1993 JVC Jazz Festival in Vladivostok, Russia, appeared in concert with Tom Harrell, Charles McPherson, Vincent Herring, Nick Brignola, Conte Condoli, Bobby Shew & Larry Coryell, and regularly appeared around the country by themselves or touring with Mark Murphy or Ernie Watts. "Highway Blues," from their 1999 recording, "Speakin' Out," was the sample music embedded in Windows XP, which sold over 700 million copies.
"The New Stories trio is likewise nothing less than extraordinary. Drummer John Bishop, particularly, is one of the finest on the scene." - Jazz Review
He's taught drums privately for 45 years and was on the faculty at the University of Washington from 2005-2009. He regularly does drum and jazz workshops throughout the country, including events with Hal Galper at the University of North Texas, University of Indiana, Dartmouth, The New School, Purchase Conservatory-NYC, University of Louisville, San Jose State University, The Jazz School-Berkeley, and the University of Colorado, among others.
In 1997, Bishop started Origin Records (named Paris Move's 2025 "Label Of The Year") and OriginArts, a graphic design & CD production company, to help further the exposure of creative artists and their music. In partnership with his ex-drum student, Matt Jorgensen, they have released 850 recordings by 390 artists from around the world. In 2002 they added another jazz label, OA2 Records, a classical imprint, Origin Classical in 2008, and in 2003 began Seattle's annual Ballard Jazz Festival. Bishop has designed 900 CD packages and multiple book covers, banners, posters, and other graphics for clients around the globe.
RECORDINGS FEATURING John Bishop
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For more information about John Bishop, please visit: http://www.johnbishop.net.
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