John Carlson
John Carlson came to Willow Creek Community Church, one of the largest and most innovative churches in the country, in 1987 as a seeker after being invited by a college friend who served in the music ministry. After committing his life to Christ, John served at Willow from 1987 to 2002 - first as a volunteer in the music ministry, and later as a staff Music Director and Arranger for 7 years. He also worked for the Willow Creek Association for 3 years as a Music Product Development Director. Before coming to Willow, John studied at the University of North Texas, and finished with a degree in Saxophone Performance from Northern Illinois University in 1986. As a multi-instrumentalist, John has served on worship teams with Tommy Walker, Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, Nicole Nordeman, and jazz artists Abe Laboriel Sr. and Kirk Whalum, as well as working as a freelance musician with several noted Chicago society bands and world-renowned entertainers. John\'s CD \"Expressions Of Instrumental Worship\", a compilation of two instrumental CDs recorded at Willow Creek, has been met with wide acclaim in both church and jazz circles. In 2007, John was voted \"Christian Jazz Artist Of The Year\" by IndieHeaven.com, a website representing independent ministry artists. He has also served on staff at churches in Dallas Texas, and Iowa City, Iowa. John, his wife Chris, and daughter Shailee, now make their home in the Iowa City area. John's passion today is helping gifted musicians realize the joy and fulfillment of making music of excellence for the Lord - in the Church and in the world.
Influences
Michael Brecker, Bob Mintzer, Bob Berg, Kirk Whalum, Brandon Fields, Eric Marienthal, Dave Koz, David Sanborn, Tower Of Power
Sounds Like...
Variety of Jazz Styles, from Straight ahead/Fusion, to Big Band Swing, to Smooth Jazz, Acoustic Flavors, etc.