John Zappa is a freelance trumpeter, drummer and singer in the Cincinnati area. He studied jazz trumpet at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and was featured on the school’s album Carnival of Life (1994 Alissa Records) as both a lead player and a jazz soloist. To work his way through school, John played with pop and R&B bands in the nightclubs around town. After college, John spent three years driving to Bloomington, Indiana on a regular basis to study trumpet with the world renowned teacher, William Adam.
John played with Cincinnati’s acclaimed, Blue Wisp Big Band for the first time when he was 17 and continues to called in either as a lead player or a jazz soloist. He has even contributed a few arrangements to their book.
Beginning in 1993, he also played with the cutting edge PsychoAcoustic Orchestra alongside his former teacher, Pat Harbison. Famed radio personality, Oscar Treadwell wrote the liner notes for the band’s first album Supreme Thing (Cabin 2 Music 1994) and notes that “trumpetrs Gary Winters, John Zappa and Pat Harbison can plat anything put before them. When called upon to go out front they do so with spontaneous and interesting solos. Their ensemble is as notable for their precision as their cohesive sound.” John had the honor a few years later to perform in person for Oscar Treawell, as a member of the Steve Schmidt Quintet, at a tribute concert in his honor.
Throughout the 1990’s John worked as a freelance trumpeter in night clubs, theater productions, orchestras, big bands and studio work. In 1997 he formed his own swing dance band and named it Rich Uncle Skeleton. John gained valuable experience as a leader, a writer/arranger and as a singer. Rich Uncle Skeleton was quite popular regionally. The most positive effect for John from putting together this group was meeting his future wife, Carrie-Ellen on the swing dancing scene.
In 1996 and ’97, John gained some valuable teaching experience alongside his father at St. Xavier High School, where he taught Music Theory and the Jazz Ensemble. John also arranged a Blues Brothers themed, marching band show there.
As the swing dancing craze faded in the mid-west, and the members of Rich Uncle Skeleton moved on with various projects of their own, John went back to doing more freelancing, which involved recording for jingles and cruise ship shows as well as various album projects including the Grammy nominated When Bullfrogs Croak, by Zach Morgan and Undacova Funk, by Bootsy Collins and Snoop Dogg which is featured in the movie, “Undercover Brother.”. He was also performing frequently throughout the area with local legends such as Cal Collins, Katie Laur and Steve Schmidt.
At this time, John also began playing with the award winning salsa dance band, Tropicoso. This band released an album of original music in 2005 and continues to be a major force in the region’s latin music scene.
In 2003 The John Zappa quartet was featured at the Chez Nora rooftop Jazz Club for several months as the weekend house band. In addition to hosting many esteemed guest artists who played with band, including the great singer of Count Basie band fame, Bill Cafee; this group featured the famed drummer John Von Ohlen. It was during this time that Zappa’s long time love affair with jazz drumming was ignited and he began to seriously study the instrument. This study continued with Von Ohlen and Marc Wolfley at The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music resulting in a Masters Degree in Jazz Percussion.
Currently, John is busy as a faculty member at Northern Kentucky University, where he teaches Jazz Appreciation. Tropicoso continues to work frequently, including a weekly Monday night gig that is in its 8th year and counting. He continues to freelance in a variety of styles of music, only now he has added drumming and singing to the mix.
