The Jon Cleary story is a case study in cultural osmosis—a narrative that begins not in the sweltering humidity of Louisiana, but in the quiet, pastoral landscapes of Kent, England.

Born in 1962, Cleary’s early musical world was shaped by an uncle who returned from a two-year excursion to New Orleans with suitcases brimming with 45-rpm records. These vinyl relics, featuring the syncopated sorcery of Allen Toussaint and Professor Longhair, acted as a siren song for the young Brit. While his peers chased the latest London mod-rock trends, Cleary was busy dissecting the “sophisticated, nasty, good-time, low-down funk” that he would later identify as the true folk music of New Orleans.

By the time he arrived in the Crescent City in 1981, his quest was less a traditional immigration than a pilgrimage to the source. Initially planning only a two-week visit, Cleary famously found himself painting the exterior of the legendary Maple Leaf Bar just to gain admission and soak up the atmosphere. It was here that he received a formative education in funk, listening to the tragic, brilliant James Booker through the floorboards while he worked. This “hands-on” apprenticeship allowed him to bridge the gap between fan and peer, eventually earning the respect of the very masters he had once heard only on his uncle’s crackling records.

What makes Cleary unique is his refusal to be a mere mimic. He understands New Orleans music as a living tradition—an evolving product of history that requires each generation to coax its residual essence into the modern era. His piano style is a meticulous architecture of sultry syncopation, replicating the polyrhythms of second-line brass band parades where the bass drum anticipates the bar and the melody twirls around the beat. Whether performing solo or with his band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Cleary treats the piano like a full orchestra, utilizing the wide intervals of tenths that his mentor, Dr. John, championed.

Cleary’s career has been defined by incredible depth and versatility. He is not only a soulful vocalist with a wit that shines through his songwriting, but also a preeminent arranger and a pianist of such caliber that Bonnie Raitt once dubbed him “the ninth wonder of the world.” For a decade, he toured as Raitt’s keyboardist, adding his signature funk-infused rolls to her sound before refocusing on his own projects, including the 2015 Grammy-winning album Go Go Juice.

Cleary views himself as an ambassador for a culture he chose rather than one he was born into. He argues that the currency of live music lies in its ephemeral nature: the sound created in a room that exists for an instant before vanishing. By performing at legendary venues like Tipitina’s or the Maple Leaf Bar, he maintains a connection to the “old lions” while ensuring the funk remains vital and “nasty” for the next generation. Cleary is living proof that authenticity is not a matter of geography, but of intense study and a soul that knows exactly where it belongs.

Join us on Wednesday, May 13th for a monster show.

Article written by Middle C Jazz Marketing Support, Scott Homewood.