After a ten-year hiatus, Trombonist and composer John Yao presents the long-awaited return of his stellar big band, the 17-Piece Instrument. Points in Time, celebrates memorable personal and musical moments from Yao’s two-decade experience in New York City.

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 celebrates that tandem anniversary with Points in Time, the long-awaited follow-up by John Yao & 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.

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.

• ★★★★ “…a hard-swinging recording from an ace large ensemble led by a forward-thinking composer-arranger (and distinguished trombone voice).” — Ed Enright, DownBeat

• ★★★★ “… Yao, already a respected composer and arranger has taken a large step forward here. Flip-Flop, his first album leading the well-oiled 17-piece Instrument was impressive: Points in Time is even better and warmly recommended.” — Jack Bowers, All About Jazz

• “An immersive musical experience. Each track offers both artistic sophistication and genuine emotional resonance…a triumphant return, an artist reclaiming his voice, his vision, and the wide open space of the big band format, and making it sing once more.” —Thierry De Clement, Paris Move

• “Yao puts on full display why he’s a recently named Guggenheim Fellow.” — Craig Byrd, Cultural Attache

• “Yao reminds us that big band jazz still has something to say and that sometimes, the biggest statements come from the most personal places.” — Tim Larsen, Jazz Views

• “A fascinating work that shows how vibrant, exciting and innovative orchestral jazz can sound today.”— Jacek Burn, Jazz Fun

• “This work is not just a big band recording but a meditation on growth, struggle and creative clarity.”— Pierre Giroux, All About Jazz

• “It’s simply a lot of fun and will appeal to more than just dedicated big band fans.”—Christopher Giese, NRW Jazz

Compositions, Conductor, Trombone: John Yao

Saxes: Billy Drewes, Hashem Assadullahi, Rich Perry, Tim Armacost, Carl Maraghi

Trumpet/Flugel: Nick Marchione, John Lake, David Neves, David Smith

Trombones: Matt McDonald,Nick Vayenas, Sam Blakeslee, Max Seigel

Rhythm Section: Hyuna Park. Robert Sabin, Andy Watson

Produced by John Yao

Co-produced by Mike Holober

Recorded at Oktaven Studios, Mount Vernon, NY

Engineered by Ryan Streiber

Mixed by Brian Montgomery

Mastered by Fred Kevorkian

Hearing a new composition for the first time is one of the most rewarding experiences a composer/arranger can have.  It’s like a drug.  The first time I heard one of my arrangements for big band in person, I was totally blown away.  Even days after, just thinking about it would make the hair on my arms stand up.  I literally felt high.  I remember thinking, “this is the single greatest musical experience I’ve ever had without a trombone in my hand.”  Don’t get me wrong, the high doesn’t come without challenges.  The process is long, painful and arduous, but when you hear the result, it somehow feels worth the struggle.

After releasing Flip Flop in 2015, launching the Big Band and Beyond Concert Series and holding a monthly residency at ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn—I was burned out.  I just wanted to play the trombone.  Over time, friends and colleagues would ask me to arrange their small group songs for large ensemble, allowing me to scratch my big band writing itch without taking on a full-scale project. But even after releasing three small group albums over the next several years, I still had the urge to write for big band.  I couldn’t kick my addiction.  Then, I started to think: what if I revisited my own small group compositions and arranged them for big band?  How would they sound if I expanded and developed them into new, fresh versions of those songs?

The first song I wrote when arrived in NYC in 2005 was First Step and soon after playing it, I realized it was better suited big band due to the extended melodic material and reharmonization, which you’ll hear after strong solos by Billy Drewes, Nick Vayenas and Dave Neves. From my first Quintet album In the Now, my arrangement of Not Even Close was inspired by the sax-brass exchanges in Thad Jones’ Little Pixie that come after the head, followed by solos by Bob Sabin, Hashem Assadullahi, and Sam Blakeslee.  During my wife's chemotherapy, she was weak and tired, but one morning, she found the energy for an Early Morning Walk.  Originally written for solo piano, the song reflects that journey—starting strong, facing doubt, then pushing through to a triumphant finish with the entire band roaring.  On Triceratops Blues, from How We Do, I added a trombone soli and developed material into new ensemble sections and included trading solos between Billy Drewes and Max Seigel.  Fingerpainting, one of Herbie Hancock’s lesser-known tunes and one of my favorite songs, has a new vamp for Andy Watson to blow over the band and excellent solos by John Lake and Hyuna Park.  

Three songs on the album were not originally conceived for small group.  Originally commissioned in Spring 2020, Upside is an upbeat, swinger that features great solos from David Smith and Tim Armacost and plenty of ensemble work for the band.  Written for the birth of my son, Song for Nolan started out with a short simple idea on the piano that grew into full song and eventually a big band piece.   Beautiful solos by Rich Perry and a gorgeous exchange between Carl Maraghi and Matt McDonald took this song to another level.  The Other Way was my first venture into incorporating twelve-tone techniques with big band sounds and sparked a new compositional approach for me. Each of these songs that I revisited and expanded for big band represent a significant moment in my musical and personal journey, both past and future. 

For this recording, I assembled a group of my favorite musicians—many of whom are good friends and all of whom I’ve had the pleasure of performing with for many years now.  During the rehearsals and recording session, I was continually blown away with how they navigated the music and took the music to new places I didn’t realize were possible.  

I’m happy to say my addiction has been satisfied . . . for now . . . until the next time.  I hope you enjoy the music!

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

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 & 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). 

“So much of what’s happened over the last 20 years has definitely sparked different emotions that I’ve wanted to express in my music,” Yao says. “Sometimes those experiences and complex emotions take time to marinate, but ultimately they find their way into my writing and playing in a way that’s something like osmosis.”

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.

Several of those new compositions are inspired by the most indelible experiences of Yao’s life. Since arriving in New York, he met and married his wife, Natalie; stood by her and supported her throughout her valiant battle with cancer; and celebrated the birth of the couple’s son, Nolan, following Natalie’s triumphant return to health. All three are reflected in poignant selections on Points in Time: the early days of romance and the fatigue and determination of health struggles on the elegant, moving “Early Morning Walk,” the sheer joy of new life on “Song for Nolan.”

The gifted musicians that make up the 17-Piece group also can be traced to multiple points along Yao’s timeline. Some, including tenor saxophonist Tim Armacost, are classmates from Queens College, where Yao earned his master’s degree in his earliest days in the city, while trombonist Matt McDonald is an even earlier acquaintance from Yao’s days in Chicago. Others – saxophonists Billy Drewes and Rich Perry, trumpeter Nick Marchione and drummer Andy Watson among them – shared the stage with Yao when he subbed in the legendary Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Drewes is also a member of Yao’s three-horn quartet Triceratops, and several members, including Perry, McDonald, trumpeter David Smith and bassist Robert Sabin, reprise their roles from Flip-Flop.

The lengthy span of time since that warmly received debut was no accident – as Yao writes in his liner notes, the “funny thing about recording a big band album [is that] it makes you want to never do it again!” Even though “every note somehow feels worth the struggle,” he says, “after the first album I was burned out from pushing that boulder up the hill.” Over the ensuing years he turned his attention to far more manageable endeavors: a co-led sextet with trumpeter Jimmy Smith, and a pair of albums with the aforementioned Triceratops.

The big band bug never quite left him, however. That passion is evident in Yao’s writing and arranging for Points in Time, on which he revels in, as he puts it, “big band being big band.” After all, he fell in love with playing in large ensembles during his stints in the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the pinnacle of traditional big band artistry. Yao isn’t averse to modernism in his own work; witness the striking “The Other Way,” a bold venture into 12-tone technique that points the way to the JY-17’s planned third outing. But Points in Time strongly embraces those timeless elements that make classic big band music so exhilarating.

“Traditional big band elements like sax or trombone soli, or brass opposing saxes, or shout choruses are textures that sometimes get overlooked in the big band idiom nowadays,” Yao explains. “Not to say that they have to be there, but in addition to being a blast to play, they are valuable in more than just a musical sense. They build morale and camaraderie. As a player of big band music for many years, I’ve found that they raise the level of the music in a way that’s hard to quantify, but you can definitely feel it. I’ve made a conscious effort to weave those elements into the arrangements.”

A prime example is “Not Even Close,” which Yao wrote for his quintet in tribute to VJO founder Thad Jones and recorded on his debut album, In the Now. He once again drew on Jones’ inspiration as he revised the tune for big band, crafting exchanges between saxes and brass reminiscent of Thad’s classic “Little Pixie.” He wrote “First Step” around the same time, but even before forming the JY-17 recognized that it was meant to be a big band chart. It makes its long overdue premiere here. The final reinvention is the brooding “Triceratops Blues,” the first tune he penned for the three-horn band.

Following the release of Flip-Flop Yao has also been commissioned to contribute compositions and arrangements for high school ensembles; Points in Time is bookended by updated versions of two such commissions, the original “Upside” and a fresh take on Herbie Hancock’s “Finger Painting.” The thrill that Yao describes in hearing these young bands play his music echoes his feelings about big band music in general, shedding light on why he’s returned to the form despite the formidable hurdles.

“It’s an amazing feeling that you want to experience over and over again,” he marvels. “Playing a great trombone solo is always satisfying, but hearing musicians from all over the world bring your music to life and connecting with them on a deeper level is an extremely profound experience."

John Yao

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 DownBeatCritics 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. In April 2025 he was appointed to the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows in the field of Music Composition.

John Yao & His 17-Piece Instrument – Points in Time

See Tao Recordings – See Tao 005 – Recorded Feb. 12-13, 2024

Release date July 11, 2025

For almost twenty years, John Yao has been honing his talents as a trombonist, composer and arranger, and cementing his place 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. Yao has earned wide acclaim. In April 2025 he was appointed to the 100th class of Guggenheim Fellows in the field of Music Composition.  All About Jazz declared, “Boldly diverse, Yao's compositions cut across the swath of contemporary jazz's field.”  The New York City Jazz Record proclaimed his latest recording Off-Kilter (See Tao Recordings, 2022) “a program using firmly flexible architecture to encourage audacious exploration” and that “John Yao’s Triceratops may be off-kilter, but is also remarkably on point.”  In 2023, Yao earned a place in both the Rising Star Trombone and Rising Star Big Band categories in the DownBeat Critics Poll.  

Masterfully leading and composing the music for both his large and small ensemble, Yao has released five albums as a leader.  John Yao Quintet’s debut album In the Now (Innova Recordings, 2012) followed by Presence (See Tao Recordings, 2017).  In between, Yao released his first big band album Flip Flop (See Tao Recordings, 2015) by John Yao and His 17-piece Instrument.  DownBeat magazine declared “[Flip-Flop]showcased Yao’s unpredictable compositions and inventive arrangements, which spring from tradition while pointing towards future portals.”  John Yao’s Triceratops albums How We Do (See Tao Recordings, 2019) and Off-Kilter (2022) have been called “complex, modernistic and updated, full of counterpoint, it’s very accessible and so much fun” by Hot House Jazz. 

As a trombonist, he has worked extensively as a sideman for Grammy-award winning ensembles, such as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, and has also performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Danilo Perez, Kurt Elling, Chris Potter, Teo Macero, Buddy DeFranco, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Lou Rawls, Manuel Valera’s New Cuban Express Big Band, Josh Shneider Orchestra and Bright Eyes among others.  He has played at many prominent venues including Carnegie Hall, the Village Vanguard, Birdland, Smalls and the Kennedy Center. Internationally, he has played in Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Austria, Peru, Brazil, the Netherlands and Switzerland.  Lucid Culture proclaims, “John Yao is one of New York’s elite trombonists and is also a first-class, ambitious, and witty composer and leader . . . a tuneful, epically inclined, cinematic trombonist.”

As a composer and arranger, John has been commissioned to write works for professional ensembles, such as the Grammy Award winning Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia, Band of Bones, Luis Bonilla’s I Talking too Big Band and the HGM Big Band.  In 2022, he was commissioned by the Arsonore Spirit Orchestra (Graz, Austria) to write ten arrangements for a Black Lives Matter Concert.  In 2023, he was commissioned by trombonist Joseph Bowie to write six arrangements for his Defunkt big band.  He was a member of the BMI Jazz Composers workshop in 2012-14 under the guidance of Jim McNeely and Mike Holober.  His works have been performed by college and high school ensembles including Temple University, Indiana University, Iowa University, University of North Carolina, New Jersey City University, University of Illinois at Chicago, Binghamton University, HGM Orkestar in Zagreb, Croatia, New Trier High School and Townsend Harris High School. In addition, Yao writes for both educational and professional ensembles with over two dozen works published and available on ejazzlines.com, sheetmusic.com and ijazzmusic.com.  

Formed in 2014, John Yao and His-17-piece Instrument (JY-17 for short) has been a mainstay on the New York City jazz scene.  Yao serves as artistic director, composer, conductor and performer and the group features all his original compositions.  In 2015, the JY-17 held a monthly residency at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn, NY for six months.  Around that same time, he founded the Big Band & Beyond Concert Series featuring the JY-17 premiering new works for big band at each concert.  The series goal was to further new works in the big band genre and to offer a broad view of the possibilities of jazz composition.  The JY-17 recently recorded two new albums, one of which will be released in July 2025. In addition, Yao writes for both educational and professional ensembles with over two dozen works published and available on ejazzlines.com, sheetmusic.com and ijazzmusic.com.  

An in-demand educator, Yao serves as Assistant Professor of Trombone at Berklee College of Music and Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and Adjunct Professor of Music at Molloy University. He is an XO Brass Clinician, as well as an active guest artist and soloist at colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad.