Who Was Who! Jazz and Cabaret Performer John Minnock

Editor’s Note: Although he’s not a performer from the past, we remember John Minnock (1959-2024) now to celebrate his posthumous album release on April 26 via Dot Time Records. The recording, A Different Riff: Minnock Sings Shire, a tribute to the music of David Shire, features saxophonist Dave Liebman, who worked with Minnock frequently over the years. It was co-produced by Liebman and David Shire. There will also be a celebration of his life tentatively planned for the last weekend in April as well as a CD release party at Birdland.

By Kevin Scott Hall***I met jazz vocalist John Minnock as a fan first (I reviewed his show at the Metropolitan Room in 2014) and later became a friendly acquaintance. I followed his career through many shows and the release of four CDs from 2016-2022.

We shared the bond of being from Boston. Although Minnock was born and raised in Albany, NY, he was a music major at Boston University (BU) and, after earning an MBA at Washington University in St. Louis, returned to Boston and made it his home. For most of his working years, Minnock had a day job in the corporate world at Brown Brothers Harriman as a Systems Analyst, but frequented open mics and had side gigs at the Airport Hilton and the Encore Lounge at the Courtyard Marriott in Boston.

Erick Holmberg, a lifelong friend of Minnock’s since BU days, recalls his trademark sense of humor as well as other fascinating details, such as his ability to play the tuba. Minnock also participated in Stage Troupe, BU’s legendary extracurricular theater group for undergrads who weren’t necessarily theater majors. Holmberg later contributed lyrics to many songs on Minnock’s third album, Herring Cove (2020).

Boston-based singer Lynda D’Amour met Minnock at the Encore Lounge, where she also had gigs, and they became friends and, often, duet partners. “The magic about him as a singer was that he paid so much attention to details,” D’Amour recalled. “He was always working on his skill set, upping his game. And, she continued, “he would have me spitting out laughing whenever we got together.”

Holmberg said that, at some point, Minnock decided he wanted to get serious about his music career. He began booking shows in New York rooms including Don’t Tell Mama, the Metropolitan Room, 54 Below and Birdland, and continued to perform in Boston as well. In his live shows, he often added a couple of blues tunes outside of his jazz repertoire, which allowed him to let loose with his vocal prowess.

Minnock released his first CD, Every Day Blues in 2016, when he was fifty-six years old. This album included many modern standards: “This Masquerade” and “New York State of Mind,” for example, as well as one of his trademark songs, made popular by B.B. King, “Every Day I Have the Blues” (Memphis Slim/Peter Chatman). That same year, he won the Hot House Jazz Fans Decision Award for his shows at the Metropolitan Room.

Gwen Kelley, the then publisher of Hot House magazine, introduced Minnock to publicist Lydia Liebman, who became his agent, guiding him through four more albums and more prominent gigs. “He became close with my entire family,” she told me. She introduced him to her father, Dave and her mother, Caris Visentin Leibman, who later gave him ear-training lessons. According to Lydia, “John was primarily in jazz but he had a background in musical theater. He had a grasp of both of these worlds. He wanted to get more into the jazz language… having an ongoing ‘conversation’ with musicians on stage, as opposed to the band being your backup.”

His lively sophomore album was 2018’s Right Around the Corner, which included a standout cover of “Moon River” and songs by lesser known songwriters. A highlight was “New York, New York” (Jay Brannan), a comic rendering of what it’s like living in New York. The third recording was Herring Cove (2020), perhaps his most personal album. In making the album, Holmberg and Minnock talked about how there were no out, gay jazz performers and Minnock said, “Well, let’s be the first.” This was explored in their song “Unconditional.” Minnock also completely reinvented his cover songs, such as his rendering of Diane Warren’s “If I Could Turn Back Time.” 2022 saw the release of Simplicity, more straightforward and with his coming out: “He Was Brazilian.”

Minnock’s musicianship was first and foremost, and he hired the very best—and often not the usual ones we see in the clubs. Minnock also produced, or had a strong hand in producing, many of his recordings. One thing we know for sure. The memories are there for those fortunate enough to have met him or to have seen one of his shows. And the masterful recordings are with us. John Minnock’s legacy is solid and timeless.

Kevin Scott Hall is an educator and the author of the memoir A Quarter Inch From My Heart and the novel Off the Charts. He is also a singer/songwriter and public speaker.