John Stetch
Birth nameJohn Julian Stetchishin
Born1966
Edmonton, Alberta

John Stechishin, better known as John Stetch or John Julian (born 1966 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian jazz pianist and comedian.[1] He is well known for impersonating Justin Trudeau and having been nominated for several Juno Awards.

Early life

Stetch's family is ethnically Ukrainian, and as a boy, Stetch played in ensembles at Ukrainian weddings and sang in community choirs.[2] He studied reed instruments early on but concentrated on piano from his teenage years onward. After graduating from McGill University in 1991, he relocated to New York City.[3]

Career

Stetch's professional career has included performing and with Ed Jackson, Jan Jarczyk, Chris Kase, Rufus Reid, Akira Tana, Alain Trudel, Mark Turner, and Johannes Weidenmuller.

Stetch won the Du Maurier Grand Prix at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1998, was second place in the 1993 Thelonious Monk Composer's Competition, and has been nominated for six Juno Awards in jazz.[4] Stetch was a faculty member at Cornell University and at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music.[4]

In March of 2021, Stetch was investigated for hosting a conspiracist party. Amidst social gathering restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he hosted a gathering in his apartment with approximately 14 people without masks, in close quarters. He has since been suspended by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music during investigations.[5][6]

In 2022, Stetch began uploading comedic impersonations of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to his YouTube channel.[7] His comedy act has caused controversy as he has performed blackface as a means to impersonate Trudeau, who is known to have worn blackface.[8][9][10] In light of this, several venues in Vancouver have cancelled Stetch's jazz performances.[11]

John Julian
YouTube information
Genre(s)Comedy, political commentary, music
Subscribers16,000
(April 2023)

Discography

  • Rectangle Man (Terra Nova, 1992)
  • Carpathian Blues (Terra Nova, 1994)
  • Stetching Out (Terra Nova, 1996)
  • Kolomeyka Fantasy (Global Village, 1996)
  • Green Grove (Justin Time, 1999)
  • Heavens Of A Hundred Days (Justin Time, 2000)
  • Ukrainianism (Justin Time, 2002)
  • Standards (Justin Time, 2003)
  • Exponentially Monk (Justin Time, 2004)
  • Bruxin' (Justin Time, 2006)
  • TV Trio (2008)
  • Fabled States (Addo Records, 2011)
  • Off With The Cuffs (Addo Records, 2013)
  • Improvisations (2015)
  • Ballads (2019)
  • Black Sea Suite (2019)

References

  1. ↑ "John Stetch". Justin Time Records. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  2. ↑ "John Stetch, jazz piano". Music By The Sea. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  3. ↑ "John Stetch on Piano Jazz". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  4. 1 2 "Bio". John Stetch. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  5. ↑ "CityNews". vancouver.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  6. ↑ Molko, David (2021-02-25). "VSO suspends pianist under investigation by police for allegedly hosting 'unlawful' gathering". British Columbia. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  7. ↑ "John Julian - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  8. ↑ "Canada's Justin Trudeau cannot say how often he wore blackface". BBC News. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  9. ↑ Trudeau Slams Critics of Gun Control, retrieved 2023-04-15
  10. ↑ TRUDEAU'S JAMAICAN VACATION!, retrieved 2023-04-15
  11. ↑ "Woke Jazz mob cancels Trudeau impersonator John Stetch". Rebel News. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
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