John Stetch

A fine pianist whose improvisations are open to the influence of World Music, John Stetch has recorded regularly as a leader for the Terra Nova label since 1992. Stetch discovered the music of Charlie Parker when he was ten and was soon practicing on piano. After private lessons, he moved to Montreal and gained a music degree from McGill University. Stetch became a fixture in Montreal's jazz scene. In 1992 he recorded his debut for Terra Nova (Rectangle Man). Later in the year he moved to New York City although he still played regularly in Canada. He became a member of TanaReid in 1994, recorded several other sets for Terra Nova and an album of Ukranian folk music for Global Village (1996). In addition to his own projects and recording with TanaReid, John Stetch has appeared on records by Ed Jackson, Chris Case, Takeshi Inomata and Charles Licata among others. But staying close to his own material, Stetch released Heavens of a Hundred Days in fall 2000.