News
2025 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition
I am incredibly excited to share that I have been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in the field of Music Composition. It's an honor to be a part of the 100th class of fellows across 53 different fields. Thank you to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for this amazing opportunity and to everyone who has supported and believed in me over the years. I can’t wait to get started on this new project! More to come . . .
Trombonist and composer John Yao presents the long-awaited return of his stellar big band, the 17-Piece Instrument, after a ten-year hiatus
Points in Time, out July 11, 2025 via See Tao Recordings, celebrates memorable personal and musical moments from Yao’s two-decade experience in New York City
“John Yao is one of New York’s elite trombonists and is also a first-class, ambitious, and witty composer and leader.” – Alan Young, Lucid Culture
“Boldly diverse, Yao's compositions cut across the swath of contemporary jazz's field.” – Franz Matzner, All About Jazz
Album Preview Concert on June 26, 2025 at the Culture Lab LIC, for details click here
It’s been 20 years since trombonist, composer, arranger and bandleader John Yao arrived in New York City; 10 years have passed since the release of his first big band album, the exuberant Flip-Flop. He’ll celebrate that tandem anniversary with Points in Time, the long-awaited follow-up by John Yao and His 17-Piece Instrument (JY-17). While the album arrives as a commemoration of those two significant dates, the music it contains is deeply informed by a number of professional and personal milestones that have marked that two-decade journey.
Set for release on July 11, 2025, via See Tao Recordings, Points in Time is enriched and invigorated by a wealth of experiences that Yao has enjoyed since Flip-Flop heralded the arrival of “a strong compositional voice and effective band-leader able to use his 17-piece band to paint across a wide spectrum and infuse his complex writing with a thoughtful balance of audacity, structure, humor, and sonic might” (All About Jazz).
For the album’s repertoire, Yao culled favorite tunes from throughout his discography, revising small-band compositions in vibrant new big band arrangements. He also showcases the new pieces he’s penned over the intervening years, including works premiered during the “Big Band & Beyond” concert series that the JY-17 hosted at Greenwich House Music School in the wake of Flip-Flop’s release.
NEW JOHNYAO.COM STORE
I am thrilled to share that many of my original works and arrangements for large jazz ensemble are now available directly through my site. Included is the music from “Flip-Flop” as well as arrangements by different composers in a variety of styles and skill levels. I am always adding new charts, so please check back and see what’s new. If you don’t find anything you like, feel free to contact me.
New Arrangements
Original works
Off-Kilter available now
John Yao, Compositions and Trombone | Billy Drewes, Alto and Soprano Saxes
Jon Irabagon, Tenor and Soprillo Saxes | Robert Sabin, Bass | Mark Ferber, Drums
Here’s what the press is saying about Off-Kilter:
“This three-horned beast of a band first came to notice with 2019’s How We Do, a dynamic, boundry-pushing date . . John Yao’s Triceratops may be off-kilter, but is also remarkably on point.” - NYCJR, Dan Bilawasky
“Trombonist and composer, John Yao, vividly captures a sense of risk-taking and improvisational invention to create this boldly unpredictable album.” – Musical Memoirs, Dee Dee McNeil
“Off-kilter and on target.” - Jazzwise, Kevin Le Gendre
"Off-Kilter" is right on target, modern music for adventurous minds. John Yao's Triceratops is quite alive, playing with fire, with joy, spirited interactions that jump out of the speakers. “ - Stem Tempest, Richard Kamins
For the past two decades, John Yao has established himself as one of the premier trombonists, composers, and arrangers on the New York City jazz scene. Yao’s lyrical soloing and expressive, round tone, combined with his relentless drive to push the boundaries of harmony and rhythm, have established him as a unique and forward-thinking jazz talent. He has been called “one of New York’s elite trombonists and is also a first-class, ambitious, and witty composer and leader . .” (Lucid Culture) and his compositions are described as “boldly diverse, Yao's compositions cut across the swath of contemporary jazz's field” (All About Jazz). In 2023, Yao earned a place in the Rising Star Trombone and Rising Star Big Band categories in the DownBeat Critics Poll. He has built an extensive body of work, collaborating with ensembles and performers worldwide and releasing five recordings as a bandleader—each showcasing his bold, boundary-pushing compositions for both small groups and big bands.