BY: DIGITAL WAX MEDIA STAFF
Grammy Award-winning musical legend of New Orleans, Jon Cleary has released a new single “Uptown Downtown” with his ensemble of New Orleans gunslinger players known as the Absolute Monster Gentlemen.
The single is the second to be released from the collective’s forthcoming studio album The Bywater Sessions, which will be released in full later this month.
The record will feature the lush collaborative playing of the expansive unit, made up of a whopping eight top-notch musicians in addition to Cleary himself. Comprising the band are the all-star horn section of Charlie Halloran, Jason Mingledorff, and Aaron Narcisse, guitarist Xavier Lynn, drummer A.J. Hall, bassist Cornell Williams, Hammond organist Nigel Hall, and percussionist Pedro Segundo.
This record, Cleary says, is about continuing the proud musical tradition of New Orleans and revitalizing the essence of the music.
”The roots go deep, but each generation, growing up with street parades and second-lines, absorbs the old and introduces the new, gently coaxing the essential essence into and out of each succeeding decade,” Cleary explains.
”These grooves are not museum pieces, they are alive, breathing and fresh – and that’s why joints like Tipitina’s, The Maple Leaf Bar and Chickie Wah Wah are always packed when the locals, young and old, come out to hear the Gentlemen do they thang.”
“Uptown Downtown” and preceding single “So Damn Good” are available to stream now. Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen’s forthcoming full-length release, The Bywater Sessions will officially hit shelves on April 25, 2025, through the Well Kept Secret imprint.
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen are currently touring and will remain on the road throughout the year in support of The Bywater Sessions.
Upcoming performance dates for Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen are as follows.
April 12, 2025, Saturday – French Quarter Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
April 13, 2025, Sunday – Tipitina’s Uptown – New Orleans, LA
April 16, 2025, Wednesday – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
April 24, 2025, Thursday – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2025 – New Orleans, LA
April 25, 2025, Friday – The Broadside – New Orleans, LA
April 28, 2025, Monday – WWOZ Piano Night – New Orleans, LA
May 1, 2025, Thursday – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
May 6, 2025, Tuesday – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium – Shreveport, LA (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 7, 2025, Wednesday – Robinson Center – Little Rock, AR (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 9, 2025, Friday – Orpheum Theatre – Memphis, TN (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 10, 2025, Saturday – Iroquois Amphitheater – Louisville, KY (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
May 21, 2025, Wednesday – Chickie Wah Wah – New Orleans, LA
June 1, 2025, Sunday – Michael Arnone’s Crawfish Fest 2025 – Augusta, NJ
June 7, 2025, Saturday – O2 Apollo Manchester – Manchester, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
June 8, 2025, Sunday – Theatre Royal Concert Hall – Nottingham, United Kingdom
June 11, 2025, Wednesday – The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall – Glasgow, United Kingdom
June 14, 2025, Saturday – Wolverhampton Civic Hall – Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
June 16, 2025, Monday – Royal Albert Hall – London, United Kingdom
June 17, 2025, Tuesday – Brighton Dome – Brighton, United Kingdom
June 23, 2025, Monday – Oslo Konserthus – Oslo, Norway
June 25, 2025, Wednesday – Amager Bio – Copenhagen, Denmark
June 27, 2025, Friday – Værket – Randers, Denmark
June 29, 2025, Sunday – Admiralspalast – Berlin, Germany
July 1, 2025, Tuesday – Salierhalle – Winterbach, Germany
July 3, 2025, Thursday – KUNST!RASEN – Bonn, Germany
July 12, 2025, Saturday – The Sugar Club – Dublin, Ireland
July 17, 2025, Thursday – BIX Jazzclub & Lounge – Stuttgart, Germany
July 22, 2025, Tuesday – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
July 23, 2025, Wednesday – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
July 24, 2025, Thursday – Ronnie Scott’s – London, United Kingdom (w/ Bonnie Raitt)
September 4, 2025, Thursday – Big Blues Bender 2025 – Las Vegas, NV
December 6, 2025, Saturday – Johnson’s Boucaniere – Lafayette, LA
Photo: Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen – The Bywater Sessions Album Artwork courtesy of Well Kept Secret
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