John Bickerton is a Brooklyn, NY-based composer and pianist with a background in both classical composition and jazz improvisation. His film, Artistes Burlesques, recently won Best Experimental Film at the 2019 Berlin Short Film Festival. He has recorded jazz trio albums for Leo Lab Records (UK) and for the CIMP (Creative Improvised Music Projects) label.
John has performed with jazz artists Rashid Bakr (Charles Downs), Wilbur Morris, Mat Maneri, Ben Allison, Hide Tanaka, Valery Ponomarev, Joe Magnarelli, Calvin Hill, Chris Lightcap, Michael Sarin, Matt Heyner, Chris Dahlgren, Tim Horner, Booker T Williams, and Bruce Eisenbeil.
Bickerton explains: “My improvisational influences – Ornette Coleman, Geri Allen, Andrew Hill, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Keith Jarrett – have all established their own ‘mentality’ in jazz. How they phrase inside the time gives them their voice. How do these musicians play with the rhythm section? Do they phrase evenly through the measure? Do they play against the time? Behind it? Contrary to it? All these things define a personality in music. In a way, it’s the ultimate goal of a musician to find this sound, this personal expression. The power of improvisation is in its immediacy – you can hear the very moment of creation, and that energy is what carries the music.”
From 1998 to 2018 John owned and managed his own business. The UniqueTracks Production Music Library owned the synchronization rights to a collection of over 3000 recordings. It licensed this music for use in film, video, games, apps, and advertising. At one time, the company held the largest selection of stock classical music recordings available worldwide. UniqueTracks licensed music to thousands of media production companies including Disney, the Cooking Channel, the Sundance Channel, the Outdoor Channel, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, FOX, ABC, PBS, FremantleMedia as well as corporate clients like Coca-Cola, E-Trade, IBM, Merrill Lynch, Marriott, Pfizer, Merck, Hallmark, Saatchi & Saatchi, Fidelity and Johnson & Johnson.
John closed the business in 2018 intent on re-entering the music world as a performer. “I found out that it was nearly impossible to manage a business and also be a musician. This is probably obvious to most folks but I kept trying to circle back to making music and it just never happened. It took me 20 years to discover that you can’t do both things. I enjoyed the business, I enjoyed the customer interaction and the sales but in the end, it wasn’t what I was meant to do.” John is now actively composing and seeking performance opportunities.
