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The Maestro phase-shifter, in AJ's words (Mix mag, July 1999)

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The Maestro phase-shifter, in AJ's words (Mix mag, July 1999)

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I wanted to take a moment to correct and clarify a couple of points regarding the origin and recording of The 0'Jays' "For the Love of Money" [" Classic Tracks," April '99.

Anthony Jackson was the bassist on the session and shares the writing credit with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff].

Normally, as Joe Tarsia said, chord charts would be handed out and we'd run over things again and again and the songs would fall into place. But "For the Love of Money" was different. I was working with an artist named Billy Paul at the time. He had done a big record called "Me and Mrs. Jones" the year before, which was my first major recording appearance. So I was basically hanging around in the offices of Philly International Records, waiting for a train. I had some time to kill and there was an amplifier in one of the offices there. I plugged in and began playing around. I played one of a series of bass exercises with a pick that I'd worked on for a few years; they were things based on some James Brown records. It was Kenny Gamble who heard me playing one of these and he said, "Don't go away. Stay right there. We've got a song we've been trying to record, and we can't figure out what to do with it, and this might go with it." So he called Huff into the office. Huff began playing the song, as they'd been hearing it, on the piano in the office. It didn't sound anything like the record would eventually sound. So they began to fit the piano part around the bass part I was playing; I didn't change anything. People began coming in from other offices and there was a lot of excitement about it. So we went into the studio with the bass part completely together. The bass line was completely my own, and I was given writer's credit for it.

As for the sound of the bass on the record, I had been using a Maestro phase-shifter, which had just come on the market, and that's what I used. The only thing Joe Tarsia added was a little reverb in the opening, where I'm playing by myself.

In the studio I noticed a Countryman Associates phase shifter sitting on a shelf. Joe told me later that he had used that on the crash cymbal, which is where the phasing effect comes from. He might have also used an Eventide Instant Phaser, but he did not use that on the bass guitar. I had modified my phase-shifter to increase the strength of the phasing effect. In fact, I actually turned it up a bit too high—I detect a bit too much pitch shift.

Joe also says I came into the studio with a wah-wah pedal. Never at any time have I used a wah-wah pedal, onstage or on a recording.

I'm still amazed that Gamble and Huff—as conservative as they are— were bold enough to put that bass line with the phase-shifter on the record. This was something they'd never heard before, and the fact that they said they liked it still means a lot to me to this day. It turned out to be a great decision for all of us. Anthony Jackson

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From Rotosounds to signature Fodera strings

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From Rotosounds to signature Fodera strings

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#AnthonyJackson – one of the greatest #bass players on Earth.  #MandokiSoulmates #music #bassplayer

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The Brielle, in Staten Island

https://thebrielle.com/

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Senior Living in Staten Island, NY | Assisted Living & Memory Care | The Brielle

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Discover exceptional senior living in Staten Island, NY at The Brielle. We offer personalized assisted living and memory care in a vibrant, supportive community.

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AJ in the late '70s at Ralph MacDonald's New York recording studio, Rosebud. Photo shared on FB by LP founder Martin Cohen.

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AJ in the late '70s at Rosebud Recording Studio

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Will Lee: Called AJ sweet and so determined to get the contrabass made

Michel Camilo: Called AJ spiritual, told how AJ loved challenges, recorded and listened back to himself, and inspired Michel to take it up a notch

Vinny Fodera: Called AJ the eternal perfectionist; the best test pilot a luthier ever had; "severe case of brutal honesty"; a brilliant, well-read intellectual; funny, caring, protective

AJ's cousin: "Cousin Anthony" who used to come with stories of travel. Inquisitive, interested in small details that didn't interest other people (the fungus); popular with kids when he played guitar; contact lessened as AJ's career blossomed. Funny, smart as a whip; lost weight with intermittent fasting

Hal and June, AJ's caretakers -- Hal visited him every Thursday. June did so much to keep him together.

Danette: Don't thank me -- I was blessed to spend time with Anthony

Akiko Yano: Played with AJ and Cliff for 12 years, mainly in Japan and NYC; history (WWII), ham radio, bible; visited two weeks before he passed; told him that according to Revelations, he'd be able to play again, in perfect health: AJ smiled big

Stephanie DiMeola: Great piece by Al; Intention, precision, and fire; made everything sound better; introducing AJ to Jaco; AJ's Mercedes; AJ refused to do a solo album; Stanley and the chair prank; home was a bass, music stand, chair; the last dinner

Bob: Used to play old AJ recordings for AJ and it brought him back to life; mentioned that AJ's eyes opened wide at the end and then slowly closed, and that it was like a great coda. The energy was beautiful/release of the spirit from the body, like a low B

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Anthony Jackson Obituary - Staten Island, NY

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Celebrate the life of Anthony Jackson, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Casey McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home.

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Michel Camilo mentioned that AJ liked this book and recommended it to Camilo

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Amazon.com: Story of Edgar Cayce: There Is a River: 9780876043752: Sugrue, Thomas: Books

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Gilles Peterson AJ tribute mix (Oct. 23, 2025)

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Gilles Peterson AJ tribute mix (Oct. 23, 2025)

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"I did a mix of basslines and exceptional music featuring the incredible Anthony Jackson who passed away this week.

2 of the greatest jazz dance basslines appear on ‘Merry Go Round’ by Terumasa Hino and ‘Soundcheck’ by Wlodek Gulgowski… some of my most rinsed jams ever for the boogie jazz massive!

It’s on @worldwide.fm. There’s been some beautiful words written about him this week by the likes of @chrmcbride and @official_aldimeola.

If I had ever been a bass player I think I would have wanted to be Anthony Jackson. So complete yet fluid."

https://www.worldwidefm.net/episode/gilles-peterson-17

Tunes played:

Terumasa Hino - merry go round

Roberta Flack - I can see the sun in late december

O’Jays - for the love of money

Dave Valentin - patterns for the sky

Norman Connors - Just Imagine

Barry Miles - relay

Lee Ritenour - captain fingers

Mikio Masuda - Lets get together

Mike Urbaniak - Cameo

Chaka Khan - whatcha gonna do for me

MFSB - freddie’s dead

Carlos Garnett - chana

Grover Washington - not yet

Funk Factory - rien ne va plus

Billy Paul - me and mrs jones

Yussef Lateef - mystique

Ryo Kawasaki - trinkets and things

Terumasa Hino - send me your feelings

Gene Dunlap - party in me

Donald Fagan - IGY

Tania Maria - Chuleta

Patti Austen - That’s enough for me

Sonny Fortune - Infinity Is

Harvey Mason - Phantazia

David Spinoza - on the way to the liquor store

Michel Camilo - used to be a cha cha

Wlodek Gulgowski - soundcheck

Chaka Khan - Clouds

Michelle Hendricks - Say When

Catalyst - got to be there

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Listen to Show - Worldwide FM on Worldwide FM

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34K views · 7K reactions | Dave Weckl shares a story about his dear friend Anthony Jackson. Sending love to Anthony’s family, friends, and fans. RIP to a real legend 🕊️ One of the greatest bassists ever. From Go With Elmo Lovano Episode 84: Dave Weckl #daveweckl #anthonyjackson #drums #bass | Go with Elmo Lovano

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Dave Weckl shares a story about his dear friend Anthony Jackson. Sending love to Anthony’s family, friends, and fans. RIP to a real legend 🕊️ One of the greatest bassists ever. From Go With Elmo…

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Luther Vandross's Never Too Much Performance #musicpodcast #rnb #music #luthervandross

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12 Still Of The Night by lorelei-mcbroom

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A bit of jazz infused Pop with Anthony Jackson on bass and the late great Mike Dino Campbell on guitar. Paul Litteral on trumpet and Mark Stevens on backing vocals. Written by Lorelei McBroom and Peter Scherer.

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AJ's playing on Fahir's 2005 album "If," with El Negro, is blazing.

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AJ enjoyed playing on Times of Our Lives (1982) and Home Again (1984), and he had stories about it!

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AJ, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke (Ron's 85th at Carnegie Hall?)

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AJ, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke (Ron's 85th at Carnegie Hall?)

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This 1982 pic, posted on FB by Weckl, seems to show AJ with his first Ken Smith.

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AJ and Wekl at Mikell's with Camilo in 1982

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AJ and Hiromi in an undated, uncredited photo

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After suffering from Parkinson's, several falls, and several mini-strokes, AJ passed away peacefully ("like he went to sleep") at 4:30pm EST on Oct. 19, 2025 at a senior facility in New York. He was surrounded by Danette Albetta, Bob Franceschini, Joey Lauricella, and Mas Hino.

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After suffering from Parkinson's, several falls, and several strokes, AJ passed away peacefully ("like he went to sleep") at 4:30 EST on October 19, 2025 surrounded by Danette Albetta, Joey Lauricella, Bob Franceschini, and Mas Hino.

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AJ and Simon interviewed on working together

https://youtu.be/xCchBvfPoec?si=mbnD-49LzZ0YDGkV

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SIMON PHILLIPS & ANTHONY JACKSON Interview

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Mike Stern Band - Full Concert | Live at North Sea Jazz Festival 2007

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'Cool Again' Gabriela Anders with Anthony Jackson, Wayne Krantz, Jim Ridl and Cliff Almond

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Live at Java Jazz Fest:

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Wayne Krantz, Anthony Jackson, Cliff Almond - JJF2015 6.3

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Short live jam in Kolkata:

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Wayne krantz, Anthony Jackson and Cliff Almond live jam in Kolkata

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Anthony Jackson Launched My Career | Cliff Almond Interview Episode #274

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AJ has mentioned studying with Jerry Fisher...

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Jerry Donald Fisher (born March 1, 1942, DeKalb, Texas, United States) is an American R&B singer - Texas-born and Oklahoma-reared - known internationally for being the lead vocal with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1971 to 1975. He is known to Dallas music fans for his R&B gigs from 1964 to 1972, and known in Bay Saint Louis as one-half of the husband-wife proprietorship of "Dock of the Bay," a restaurant and nightclub owned and operated by the two from 1976 to the spring of 2005, when they sold it a few months before Hurricane Katrina blew it away.

Pre-BS&T groups

1964-1970: "Jerry Fisher and the Night Beats"

Beginning around 1964, Jerry Fisher formed "Jerry Fisher and the Nightbeats," a R&B band that performed in popular nightspots around Dallas, such as The Music Box on Cedar Springs, Club Village, Gringos on Oak Lawn, and the Loser's Club on Mockingbird. The band also performed nightclub circuits in Las Vegas ( Caesars Palace & the Thunderbird), Lake Tahoe ( Harveys), and Oklahoma.

1970-1971: The Jerry Fisher Group, "Cherokee"

In 1970, Fisher formed a group composed of members of the North Texas Lab Bands. This 10 piece group opened at the Dunes on Ross ave. In Dallas. Fisher had been performing at Sammy Ventura's, "Gringo's Club Village when a pre-Christmas fire (1970) forced the club to close temporarily close, ending the gig. Fisher, who had been wanting to have his own club, was able to obtained the lease of Nero's Nook located at 3118 Oak Lawn. Fisher restored it, named it "Fisher's, and opened it January 8, 1971." In the early 1970s, Fisher approached Earl Lon Price (born 1946), a saxophonist studying at North Texas, about being the musical director of a new band he was putting together in Dallas. Price agreed and recruited the players, mostly from North Texas, which included Steve Turré, who played not trombone, but bass. The band's instrumentation was: guitar (Kenneth Ray "Catfish" Renfro; 1948-1976), keyboards, bass, drums (Wilford Dahrell Norris, born 1946), and four horns (trumpet, two tenor saxes and trombone), and Fisher. Price arranged most of the music and wrote two songs for Fisher. The group worked mostly in the Dallas area with occasional trips to Oklahoma (Fisher's home state), and a month in Lake Tahoe. While we were in Tahoe, Jerry and Price flew to Los Angeles to play their demo for composer and producer Mike Post, whom Fisher had met earlier. After hearing the demo, Post said that the group sounded too much like Blood, Sweat and Tears. Price disagreed, but Post said that audiences wouldn't understand the subtleties that he was talking about. Post said that they'd hear a band with a lot of horns and a white singer who sounded like Ray Charles and they'd think " Blood, Sweat and Tears." Price then grew discouraged about the band ever making it big, despite the fact that the band had a permanent gig at Jerry's in Dallas. Price also harbored artistic differences with the drummer, which led to Fisher firing the only two horn players left - Price and Fletch Wiley (trumpet), adding a female vocalist, and keeping the drummer who, one month later, joined Sonny & Cher.

1971-1972: Recording in New York

When BS&T decided to replace David Clayton Thomas, Bobby Doyle went to New York and spent a few weeks playing and recording with the band. For one reason or the other, things didn't work out with Bobby, and Fisher was chosen as the new singer. Two of the tracks with Doyle on keyboards were recorded by Fisher at Columbia studios, and are on the New Blood album. Fisher, at the time, had a great blues band and was playing at his place in Oklahoma City. He was also recording singles with New Design, a subsidiary of Columbia Records, BS&T's label.

Transition from solo performer to BS&T

Fisher had a sizable following and was considered by one Texas music critic as "probably the greatest white blues singer in the business." When Fisher joined BS&T, he didn't want to sing all the old material sung by David Clayton-Thomas. He wanted to join the band as a new singer singing new songs. The other members were pleased about that, wanting to move on with new material. But audiences wanted to hear the big hits, so BS&T picked the most requested ones and performed them in concert along with their current tunes. After Fisher joined BS&T, he was offered the opportunity to record a solo album for New Design; but he decided instead to focus on the BS&T. Yet, for him, for everyone, all these changes meant time spent rehearsing and reorganizing instead of recording. In 1971 The band, through Columbia Records, released , from which two songs climbed to the top 20.

After leaving BS&T, Jerry and his wife, Melva, spent the next couple of years biking and backpacking their way across the country. Planning on staying on the Mississippi Coast for about six weeks to produce an album, Jerry and Melva never left. On September 30, 1976, they bought the "Dock of the Bay" Restaurant and Nightclub in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. He performed there with his band "Jerry Fisher and The Music Company." Jerry and Melva sold the restaurant to a San Francisco entrepreneur in the Spring of 2005. Hurricane Katrina hit August 29, 2005, and there now is no visible sign of the restaurant. Jerry and Melva were in Colorado at the time of the hurricane.

As leader of The Jerry Fisher Group

Fred Sherman (tp) Frank Hutto (trombone) Lon Price, Ken Maslak (reeds) George Beatty (piano) Kenny Renfro (guitar) Steve Turre (bass) Dahrell Norris (drums) Jerry Fisher (vocal)

As vocalist with Blood, Sweat & Tears

As leader of Jerry Fisher and The Music Company

In an' Outta Da Blues Jerry Fisher and The Music Company, Ramblin' Records (1992)

Jerry was born to Virgil A. Fisher and Fay Lucas (maiden). He was married to Barbara Ross (born 1944) in 1962. They divorced and he later married Melva Lee Luke (maiden; born 1947) who had graduated in 1965 from Bay High School, Bay Saint Louis. Barbara and Jerry had a son, Anthony J. (Tony) Fisher (born 1964). Melva and Jerry had no children. They currently spend their summers in Colorado hiking and exploring the high country near their summer place on the western slope of the Rockies. When winter comes, they are back enjoying the islands and the excellent saltwater fishing on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Eric N. Watkins, bass (17 January 1952 - 25 March 2012)

BS&T, Almost Sorry, Live in Stockholm, 1973 on YouTube

Rosemary, Blood, Sweat & Tears: Jerry Fisher (voc), Lew Soloff & Tom Malone (tp), Dave Bargeron (tb), Lou Marini (sx), Larry Willis (k), Georg Wadenius (gt), Jim Fielder (b), Bobby Colomby (dm) - 1973 on YouTube

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Jerry Donald Fisher (born March 1, 1942, DeKalb, Texas, United States) is an American R&B singer - Texas-born and Oklahoma-reared - known internationally for being the lead vocal with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1971 to 1975.

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Interview of Lawrence Lucie - Rhythm Guitarist

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Michel Petrucciani "Take the a Train" & "On Top of the Roof" - LIVE 1998

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Photo by John Beake

With Michel Petrucciani and Steve Gadd

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AJ with Sanborn, Gadd, Tee, Brecker, Manieri

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AJ with Sanborn, Gadd, Tee, Brecker, Manieri

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John Lennon – Peace, Love & Truth

Label:EMI – 0946 332509 4 9

Format: Cassette, Compilation

Country:Indonesia

Released:2005

Yoko Ono–Give Peace A Chance Y2K+

Bass – Anthony Jackson

Executive Producer – Yoko Ono

Guitar, Keyboards, Programmed By – Robert LaRow

Keyboards, Programmed By – Jeremy Skaller

Mixed By – Alan Towbin

Performer, Written-By – Yoko Ono

Written-By – John Lennon

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Yoko Ono - Give Peace A Chance (Remix) 2005

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"Anthony Jackson in the Buddy Rich band was... incredible"

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The Steve Jordan Interview: Drummer SNL, Letterman & The Stones

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Anthony Jackson. All his solos with Hiromi The Trio Project . Live at Marciac

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Hiromi The Trio Project – Beethoven's Piano Sonata No  8, Pathetique

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Take The A Train　　Michel Petrucciani  / Steve Gadd  /  Anthony Jackson

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Anthony Jackson solo "12 bars but no blues" - Tony Lakatos

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Calle 54 - Michel Camilo -  Anthony Jackson - Horacio (El Negro) Hernandez

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AJ with Buddy Rich: Sept. 2, 1974 (New York Magazine)

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AJ with Buddy Rich: Sept. 2, 1974 (New York Magazine)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yvlova89rM

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Anthony Jackson on Steve Gadd - IMHO-THE MOST IMPORTANT DRUM LESSON VIDEO A STUDENT CAN WATCH.

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Photo by Thomas Lanik (AJ fan page, FB)

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AJ at SIR NYC, circa 1980 (Thomas Lanik)

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74fXzt5jowY

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Anthony Jackson habla sobre tener la actitud correcta

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQyNcKwjk0k

https://www.discogs.com/release/3104073-Jun-Fukamachi-On-The-Move

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--Thom Bell
--Renée Geyer
--Joe Tarsia
--Janek's Fodera video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXB_Y7HfLg4)
--The sub-octave bass (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UesU6FvHBJ0&t=1s)
--The Roberta Flack doc (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/roberta-flack-documentary/23084/#)
--Don Lewis (https://www.donlewisleo.com/) -- Did AJ ever feel persecuted because he was on the cutting edge?

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Why I No Longer Play a $15,000 Signature Bass

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A thorough, thoughtful analysis of AJ's bass style as only Chris can do. What are the parameters of full-song transcriptions in books?

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It'd be great to guide readers through AJ's very deep discography, perhaps sequentially. This discography could be matched with a YouTube playlist (or series of playlists) that accompanies the book.

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Reprints of:

--AJ's columns from Bass Player
--Chris's stories on AJ
--The AJ/Ron Carter story
--AJ in the Motown vaults
--AJ and Joe Osborn
--AJ and Jack Casady

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Stories about AJ from the folks who've worked with him most -- contemporaries (like Will Lee and Neil Jason), producers (like Barry Eastmond), bandleaders/artists (like Michel Camilo, Hiromi, Akiko Yano, and Al Di Meola), collaborators (like Steve Gadd and Cliff Almond), builders (Vinny, Joey, Carl Thompson, Ken Smith), and perhaps a couple superfans.

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Cleaned-up, organized transcriptions of the 30 interviews we've done

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AJ played in this all-star big band in the '80s led by pianist Tom Pierson.

https://sites.google.com/site/tomcpierson/

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Thomas Claude Pierson Jr. was born in Ashland, Wisconsin, March 11, 1948. His parents Thomas Claude Pierson Sr. and Beth Polhemus Pierson both were violinists and teachers. Tom Jr. however studied the piano. By the time he was a teenager he wanted to be a classical soloist. At the age of 13 he played the 1st mvt of Mozart K414 with the Houston Symphony. He later played the 1st mvt of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto and the Rachmaninoff Concerto #2 with the same orchestra. After hearing Tom play the Khachaturian, Sir John Barbirolli wrote "I was greatly impressed by this boy's gifts. Apart from his already considerable command of the keyboard, I was particularly pleased to find

something which is far rarer -- a most sensitive musicality and feeling for the finer shades of tone and expression. He should go far." (11/20/1962)

Tom attended the Juilliard School, graduating in 1970 with a degree in piano. He studied with Sasha Gorodnitzki for 5 years. Through Gorodnitzki Tom can trace his pedagogical heritage back to Beethoven (Gorodnitzki/Siloti/Liszt/Czerny/Beethoven). At Juilliard Tom held Teaching Fellowships in Music History and the Literature and Materials of Music. At this time Tom played piano recitals at various colleges and universities in the US, mostly through his father's professional contacts. He realized however he would never be a classical soloist. Tom suffered from acute stage fright, especially in competitions, which were a necessary step towards a concert career.

He turned his efforts towards conducting, studying with Dennis Russell Davies and Carl Bamberger. Tom conducted Leonard Bernstein's Mass at the Metropolitan Opera House. He also guest conducted the Houston Symphony and conducted the premiere of Galt Macdermot's concert oratorio Take This Bread. These activities however did not turn into a career.

Having married at the age of 20, Tom needed to make a living. Interested in all styles of music, he became a freelance musician in NY. From 1968-78 he conducted summer stock (Mickey Rooney, Jane Powell, Molly Picon), Broadway shows (Dude, Via Galactica, Cyrano, Shenandoah, Candide, The Wiz), orchestrated shows (Shelter, the revival of Where's Charley, By Bernstein, The Baker's Wife) and television (NBC, WNET), orchestrated for other composers (Arthur B. Rubinstein, Howard Shore), and composed incidental music for 2 plays and an NET documentary. He played rehearsal piano for the New York City Ballet. He gigged as a studio musician (Tom is the pianist on Judy Collins' recording of ―Send In The Clowns‖). He also arranged and edited music by Dave Brubeck for publication by G. Schirmer.

Tom's love of jazz began to manifest in a few opportunities. He travelled as pianist with the Stan Kenton Orchestra when Kenton was ill. He composed Nefertiti Variations (based on Wayne Shorter) for Chuck Israels' National Jazz Ensemble, the very first jazz repertory group. Tom also appeared as pianist with Francois Rabbath and Ornette Coleman at Carnegie Hall.

The most important creative work from this period was Tom's first band Turning Point. Tom had begun to compose while at Juilliard. Interestingly, the first compositions of this classically trained musician were jazz pieces. Turning Point was an electric band. Tom's original music was adventurous, sometimes bordering on the avant garde, more influenced by ―jazz-rock‖ then the later, more bland, ―fusion‖. The band, with Blue Lou Marini, Tom Pierson, Tom Barney, Kenwood Dennard, and Rick Cohen, recorded Tom Pierson, his first album. The name Turning Point had been abandoned after a popular movie about ballet was released with the same name. (This album actually became #1 on one station, WEOS, Geneva, NY!) (station playlist February 1987)

About the same time, Tom's commercial activity peaked with his involvement in film scoring. He was music director and vocal arranger for Milos Forman's Hair. He adapted and orchestrated Gershwin for Woody Allen's Manhattan. The Manhattan soundtrack album, recorded by the NY Philharmonic, was Billboard's #1 classical album for many weeks. He also worked for director Robert Altman, composing ‖Romance Concerto‖ (performed by pianist Mona Golabek and the LA Philharmonic) for A Perfect Couple, the original score for Quintet (performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer), and additional music for Popeye.

Thinking he could balance film scoring and composing concert music, Tom turned down the movie Fame to begin work on a symphony. Thus ended another promising career. (Tom also had neglected to get an agent.)

By the time his electric quintet album was released in 1982 Tom had already formed a new band. Jazz was beginning its regression into the past, and most of the active big bands were playing stylistically dated music. Tom thought the time was right for a really modern big band. Also, the prospect of composing written parts for 16 players appealed to his classical composer's interest in harmony and counterpoint. It took 2 years to write the music. The Tom Pierson Orchestra, featuring Ray Pizzi on lead alto and Chester Thompson on drums, made its debut at Pasquale's in Malibu May 14, 1982. Tom continued to compose classical works. The experience he gained composing and orchestrating for films took the place of any formal study of composition. He also never studied jazz academically, instead learning by doing, the old-fashioned way. The compositions Antiphony and Piano Concerto (1983), as well as the more advanced music for electric quintet and big band, combined extended classical forms with the featured improvisatory statements characteristic of jazz soloing.

In 1985 Tom reorganized his big band in NYC. The Tom Pierson Orchestra played over 90 engagements, including regular Monday nights at 7th Avenue South and The Jazz Center of NY, and Thursday nights at Northern Lights in Harlem. The membership of The Pierson Orchestra reads like a Who's Who of jazz instrumentalists, including at various times Tom Harrell, Wallace Roney, Randy Brecker, Dave Douglas, Lew Soloff, Don Byron, Vincent Herring, Blue Lou Marini, John Stubblefield, Scott Robinson, Ralph Bowen, Gerry Niewood, Charles Owens, Robin Eubanks, Ray Anderson, Jimmy Knepper, Garnett Brown, Eddie Bert, Fred Wesley, Steve Turre, Frank Lacey, Anthony Jackson, Alex Blake, Ira Coleman, Tom Barney, Lonny Plaxico, Chester Thompson, Pheeroan akLaff, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Kenwood Dennard, Jeff Watts, and many others. The participation of these players was all the more remarkable because the band was virtually subsidized by the musicians themselves.

In 1989 the Pierson Orchestra recorded an album Planet of Tears which was later released on the Japanese label Auteur. The title track from Planet was chosen by the Smithsonian Institute for their 5CD historical retrospective Big Band Renaissance. This comprehensive collection includes Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Gil Evans, and many other masters of orchestral jazz, as well as the Tom Pierson Orchestra. Planet was also selected by Shukan Asahi, the Japanese equivalent of Time Magazine, as one of the 3 best CDs of the year.

Tom had finally freed himself from commercial music. This was partly because he had become extremely anti-violence, refusing to work on any entertainment which depicted homicide. When offered to take over conducting the Broadway musical Cats, Tom looked at the show, saw that one of the cats was murdered as part of the story, and declined the job. His income dropped so low he applied for and received food stamps, but he was finally focused on his own creative work.

Tom moved to Tokyo in 1991 to escape the violence of the US, where he had been a victim of crime 7 times. He organized the third geographical manifestation of The Pierson Orchestra, appearing at the club Someday in Tokyo and other venues. He returned to NY at the beginning of 1999 to make another CD with his NY band, The Hidden Goddess. Later that year he released a live video of his Japanese band. It is interesting to compare two different interpretations of the same compositions. He also recorded as a pianist, performing standards, something he would not have dared to do when he was younger.

Tom's most recent project was yet another departure. He wrote and directed a feature film Turkey Boy, a romantic comedy with music. A rock band is an important part of the story of Turkey Boy. This gave Tom a chance to compose for electric guitar, an instrument he has always loved. He also wrote music and lyrics for the band's songs. Turkey Boy was released in 2009.

Currently Tom is composing an opera, mastering a 3CD solo piano set, preparing a multiCD set of his classical works, and writing a new film script. He teaches at Senzoku Gakuen and Kunitachi Music Academy, and does the occasional hotel gig (―Girl From Ipanema‖ anyone?) to pay the bills.

Tom Pierson's music has been heard in many countries, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. His music has been recorded on Auteur, CBS, Channel Crossings, 8bells, Inner City, Adamo, and Applause Records. Radio programs profiling Tom and his work have been broadcast on NPR, WBAI, WKCR, KEDT, WPKN, KCRW, KCED, FM Tokyo, and others. He has been the subject of articles in The New York Times, The New York Post, The Japan Times, Audio Accessory, Tokyo Journal, Sound Choice, The Wall Street Transcript, Cadence, JazzTimes, Jazz Life, Swing Journal, Japan Airlines' ―Winds‖ Magazine, Pacific Friend, CD Journal, Asahi Weekly Magazine, The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, Hot House, Digital Sound, The Houston Post, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Sound Stage, The Weekly Economist, The Omaha World Herald, Variety, Frau Magazine, The Sunday Patriot-News, The Lincoln Journal Star, The Daily Yomiuri, Image Forum, and others. He was on the cover of the Oct/Nov 2004 issue of Jazznin, the bilingual jazz magazine. Tom was also the subject of a chapter in David Wallechinsky's book Midterm Report, the Class of '65.

Tom's works have been performed at The International Organ Festival in Bonn, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the Music Center in Los Angeles, The International Organ Recital Series at St. John the Evangelist, Steinway Hall, Merkin Hall, CAMI Hall, Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors, The Juilliard School, The Manhattan School of Music, the CUNY Graduate Center, Composers Concordance, Eclectix, Gageego, and others. As a jazz musician he has appeared at venues on both coasts and in Japan, including The Blue Note, The Village Gate, Pasquale's in Malibu, 7th Avenue South, Central Park's Summer Stage, J's, Mikell's, Northern Lights in Harlem, The Chelsea Westside Theater, Zanzibar,

Visiones, Circle-In-The-Square, Beowulf, The West Bank Cafe, the NY Jazz Museum, Neither/Nor, Blue Hawaii, Environ, The Jazz Center of NY, At My Place, The Blue Lagune Saloon, Kenny's Castaway, the CMJ Music Marathon, Jazz West, The California Institute of the Arts, the Acme, Cafe Rakel, the Sun Mountain Cafe, the Speakeasy, The University of NY at Buffalo, Blues Alley Japan, Body and Soul, Coltrane, Alfie, Shinjuku J, the Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Sometime Kichijoji, the Shinjuku Pit Inn, Blueberry Hill, Liberu, Acoustic House Jam, Lady Jane, Art Hills, TUC, GH Nine, and others.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=195fjanbBoU&t=425s

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Pat Martino: The Re-Emergence (pt. 1) 1982

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNAQUGdNzA8

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Pat Martino: The Re-Emergence (pt. 2) 1982

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqbTPHYH4NI

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Pat Martino: The Re-Emergence (pt.5) 1982

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TspUZxWoAgQ

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Pat Martino: The Re-Emergence (pt. 4) 1982

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NotxdCS9xm0

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Pat Martino: The Re-Emergence (pt. 3) 1982

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Interview 30: Toshiki Kadomatsu, Paranoise, 777-9311, Sir Gant, Rebbie Jackson, synth bass, Dave Valentin 

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Interview 30: Toshiki Kadomatsu, Paranoise, 777-9311, Sir Gant, Rebbie Jackson, synth bass, Dave Valentin 

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98LpahYqKWQ

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Interview 29: Nahre Sol, plus AJ with Michael Gregory,  Steve Khan, Lee Ritenour, Paranoise, and Russell Morris 

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Interview 29: Nahre Sol, plus AJ with Michael Gregory,  Steve Khan, Lee Ritenour, Paranoise, and Russell Morris 

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Interview 28: Studio drama, James Taylor/Milton Nascimento, Anita Baker, Judy Collins, Gary King, the Schonitz ABG, playing with Wayne Krantz and  Steve Khan

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Interview 28: Studio drama, James Taylor/Milton Nascimento, Anita Baker, Judy Collins, Gary King, the Schonitz ABG, playing with Wayne Krantz and  Steve Khan

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Interview 27: Aging, travel, sitting, composer masterclass idea

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Interview 27: Aging, travel, sitting, composer masterclass idea

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Interview 26: AJ's new place, his signal path, playing with Michel P

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Interview 26: AJ's new place, his signal path, playing with Michel P

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Interview 25: Gigging, meeting James Galway, playing with Tony Williams, turning down Miles, playing with Buddy Rich, Buzz Feiten, plus drummers (Gadd and Porcaro)

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Interview 25: Gigging, meeting James Galway, playing with Tony Williams, turning down Miles, playing with Buddy Rich, Buzz Feiten, plus drummers (Gadd and Porcaro)

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Interview 24: Gigging, amps, playing with Al Di Meola, John Clark, earplugs and hearing loss, BeeGees, sitting, picks 

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Interview 24: Gigging, amps, playing with Al Di Meola, John Clark, earplugs and hearing loss, BeeGees, sitting, picks 

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Interview 23: Foderas, Nancy Wilson, NYC studio decline, Joy Askew, Joe Jackson, RMA union, Carmen Lundy, playing with Dizzy

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Interview 23: Foderas, Nancy Wilson, NYC studio decline, Joy Askew, Joe Jackson, RMA union, Carmen Lundy, playing with Dizzy

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Interview 22: Playing with Paul Simon and touring with Simon & Garfunkel 

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Interview 22: Playing with Paul Simon and touring with Simon & Garfunkel 

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Interview 21: AJ on tracks by Cory, Russell Morris, Maxine Nightingale, Reggie Lucas, David Newman, and Lou Courtney, plus setup, Herb Bushler, drugs, and playing with a pick

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Interview 21: AJ on tracks by Cory, Russell Morris, Maxine Nightingale, Reggie Lucas, David Newman, and Lou Courtney, plus setup, Herb Bushler, drugs, and playing with a pick

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Interview 20: Playing with Hiromi, Yiorgos Fakanas, Prasanna, Peter Paul & Mary, Kate Bush, Doobies, Googie, Aztec Two-Step, plus the Carl Thompson 6

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Interview 20: Playing with Hiromi, Yiorgos Fakanas, Prasanna, Peter Paul & Mary, Kate Bush, Doobies, Googie, Aztec Two-Step, plus the Carl Thompson 6

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Interview 19: AJ's gear journey so far, the end of the 55 Bar, Brooklyn club The East, AJ’s health 

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Interview 19: AJ's gear journey so far, the end of the 55 Bar, Brooklyn club The East, AJ’s health 

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Interview 18: The influence of Ives and Max Reger, playing with Rothenberg/Drescher, Wendy Carlos, knowing Alphonso Johnson from Philly, playing on the Virus soundtrack, the impact of organ players on AJ's style

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Interview 18: The influence of Ives and Max Reger, playing with Rothenberg/Drescher, Wendy Carlos, knowing Alphonso Johnson from Philly, playing on the Virus soundtrack, the impact of organ players on AJ's style

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Interview 17: Ron Carter at 85, Jeff Andrews, Playing with Akiko, Bireli, Chambers, and Ms. Ross, plus Bad Bascombe and the last time AJ saw Jamerson

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Interview 17: Ron Carter at 85, Jeff Andrews, Playing with Akiko, Bireli, Chambers, and Ms. Ross, plus Bad Bascombe and the last time AJ saw Jamerson

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Interview 16: Playing with Tania Maria, Michel P, Meco, Garland Jeffreys, Milton Nascimento, Charlie Collelo 

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Interview 16: Playing with Tania Maria, Michel P, Meco, Garland Jeffreys, Milton Nascimento, Charlie Collelo 

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Interview 15: LA ’77, Playing with the Writers, Five Easy Pieces, Ernest Ranglin, Phoebe Snow, and Jim Beard, plus MonoNeon does AJ

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Interview 15: LA ’77, Playing with the Writers, Five Easy Pieces, Ernest Ranglin, Phoebe Snow, and Jim Beard, plus MonoNeon does AJ

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Interview 14: Playing with Akiko, Ruben Blades, Jorge Dalto, Warren Bernhardt, Pharoah, and using the steel

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Interview 14: Playing with Akiko, Ruben Blades, Jorge Dalto, Warren Bernhardt, Pharoah, and using the steel

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Interview 13: AJ on the Muppets, playing on a Kirin beer commercial, and Steve Khan 

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Interview 13: AJ on the Muppets, playing on a Kirin beer commercial, and Steve Khan 

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Interview 12: More classical influences, Ralph Burns, playing with Lalo Schifrin and Yoko

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Interview 12: More classical influences, Ralph Burns, playing with Lalo Schifrin and Yoko

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Interview 11: Classical composers, The Book pt. 3, getting music rights, Messiaen, and a visit from Rickey Minor 

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Interview 11: Classical composers, The Book pt. 3, getting music rights, Messiaen, and a visit from Rickey Minor 

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Interview 10: Max Reger and other classical composers 

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Interview 10: Max Reger and other classical composers 

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Interview 9: Partnering with synth bass tracks, working with Quincy, The Book pt. 2, AJ on Phil Perry tracks

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Interview 9: Partnering with synth bass tracks, working with Quincy, The Book pt. 2, AJ on Phil Perry tracks

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Interview 8: Playing with Joni, that time AJ saw a UFO, talking about picks, smoking weed, playing with Rory Block

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Interview 8: Playing with Joni, that time AJ saw a UFO, talking about picks, smoking weed, playing with Rory Block

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Interview 7: Influences and inspirations, from Messaien to Zulema, plus thoughts on The Book pt. 1 

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Interview 7: Influences and inspirations, from Messaien to Zulema, plus thoughts on The Book pt. 1 

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Interview 6: Composing, working with Steely Dan, turning down Weather Report and Miles, and playing with Masabumi Kikuchi

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Interview 6: Composing, working with Steely Dan, turning down Weather Report and Miles, and playing with Masabumi Kikuchi

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Interview 5: Playing with Buddy Rich and the influence of Messiean

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Interview 5: Playing with Buddy Rich and the influence of Messiean

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Interview 4: Jamerson, Casady, playing with Gulgowski, using Eventide

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Interview 4: Jamerson, Casady, playing with Gulgowski, using Eventide

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Interview 2: Early Days Pt. 2, plus gear evolution 

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Interview 2: Early Days Pt. 2, plus gear evolution 

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Interview 1: Early Days Pt. 1, plus gear evolution

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Interview 1: Early Days Pt. 1, plus gear evolution