John Simon

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John Simon is originally from Philadelphia, PA, where he studied piano since the age of 8. He received both a Bachelors (1976) and Masters Degree (1978) in Music Composition at the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University in Philadelphia. John studied classical piano performance with Sophia Melvin and composition with Clifford Taylor, Robert Morgan and Paul Epstein. He also founded the Temple University Electronic Music Studio, where he taught graduate and undergraduate classes in Electronic Music. Using a large “C” Series Moog modular synthesizer, John’s many compositions explored the avant-garde of the electronic genre.

In 1981, John moved to Ukiah, where he formed the jazz fusion group Synaps from 1982 through 1987. Synaps featured jazz vocalist Paula Samonte and performed original music composed by John. John's passion for creativity has driven him to form and join many groups exploring original and experimental music. He has produced numerous CDs which feature his jazz compositions, including “Tempting Fate” with vocalist Cat Austin and “The Fourth Stream” with drummer Kendrick Freeman and bassist Wolfgang Wein.

John was a member of the faculty at Sonoma State University for seven years, and at the Santa Rosa Junior College for eleven years, teaching jazz piano as well as jazz vocal repertoire and accompaniment techniques. He is in his 20th year as music director for Saint Francis Solano Catholic Church in Sonoma. John has also been the musical director for theatrical productions of “A Chorus Line”, “Godspell”, “Pippin”, “Rent”, as well as “Future Perfect Tense”, which he co-authored.

John is well known as an accomplished soloist and a preferred accompanist for many vocalists and instrumentalists in the Bay Area. He has appeared with a large diversity of musicians and groups through the years, from the Braxton Brothers to The Drifters, from Little Anthony to Ray Obiedo. Recently, at Mendocino College, John performed with world renowned saxophonist Paul McCandless and the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra in a concert that featured Paul’s original music. He performs with his jazz vocal trio Trimates, with drummer Kendrick Freeman and bassist Tom Shader. Trimates features original jazz instrumental and vocal music written by John. Click HERE to find out more about Trimates!

John owns and operates a busy recording studio, Moonlight Studio, in Santa Rosa, California. He composes music in both the jazz and electronic mediums.