John T Klemmer was born on July 3,1946 and is an American saxophonist, composer, songwriter, and arranger.
17 Facts About John Klemmer
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John Klemmer was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and began playing guitar at the age of five and alto saxophone at the age of 11.
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John Klemmer studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and began touring with midwestern "ghost big bands" as well as playing with small local jazz and rock groups.
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John Klemmer had extensive studies in music, taking private lessons as a youth and in college in piano, conducting, harmony, theory, composition, arranging, clarinet, flute and classical and jazz saxophone.
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John Klemmer studied saxophone and jazz improvisation with noted Chicago saxophonist and teacher Joe Daley.
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The year he graduated from high school, John Klemmer was signed by producer Esmond Edwards at Chess Records, eventually recording five albums with their Cadet label, including his innovative hit 1969 album, Blowin Gold.
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John Klemmer led his own groups touring the US using the cream of the Chicago sideman such as Jodie Christian, Wilbur Campbell and Cleveland Eaton, while occasionally performing in tandem with good friends such as jazz artists Eddie Harris and Oscar Brashear, arranger Les Hooper and rock artists such as James William Guercio and various rock artists such as guitarist Harvey Mandel.
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John Klemmer did his first PBS special for WTTW TV Chicago.
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John Klemmer was a busy sideman, exploring every genre of music.
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John Klemmer then moved to Los Angeles the following year and for a very brief time was a key soloist and arranger with Don Ellis's big band touring Europe and toured Africa with Oliver Nelson for the State Department, while working with such diverse artists of a variety of musical genres such as Tim Buckley and others.
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John Klemmer studied film scoring with Albert Harris and vocal lessons with Seth Riggs.
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John Klemmer performed at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals, Antibes Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, and Montreux Jazz Festival plus TV shows the Midnight Special and Rock Concert.
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John Klemmer has composed all songs for many of his albums, amassing a large and valuable publishing catalog, but he has collaborated and co-written musically and as lyricist with many pop songwriters, such as David Batteau, with the UK hit "Walk In Love", recorded by The Manhattan Transfer, Danny O'Keefe, Clint Holmes, Pamela Oland, and many others.
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John Klemmer then went on to earn crossover appeal with his landmark series of "Touch" recordings.
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John Klemmer toured extensively as headliner and with "package tours" with George Benson, and Herbie Hancock plus numerous TV appearances arranged by the William Morris Agency.
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John Klemmer expanded his musical palette to include kalimba, flutes, keyboards, percussion and solo vocal.
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John Klemmer then returned to recording as guest soloist with such New Age artists as 3rd Force, David Arkenstone, and Craig Chaquico, while returning to his performing, touring and recording career.