John C. O'Leary III

John C. O'Leary III is a Mexican American jazz pianist & neuroscientist from the Yucatan peninsula. Born to a Mexican concert pianist mother, John started piano lessons at age three and left everything behind to come to America in 1998, where he studied jazz piano performance and chemistry at the University of South Florida. There, he started the highly acclaimed jazz group La Lucha. John’s solo album The Sundering on Arbors Records features guests Shaun Martin & Dick Hyman. He takes inspiration from his experience as a Mexican American to write original compositions for the piano. “The overall collection of songs creates an exploration of resilience, of putting oneself together after facing hardships, and of feeling like a stranger in an unfamiliar land. The uncertainty but also the grit from someone who leaves everything behind to start a new life somewhere else is felt throughout the music,” - Camila Meza. John has had the opportunity to perform with Dick Hyman, Houston Person, Melissa Aldana, Wycliffe Gordon, Jason Marsalis, Charles McPherson, Russell Malone, Ken Peplowski, Diego Figueiredo, Chuck Redd, Marty Morell, Jeff Rupert, Shai Maestro, Shaun Martin, The Florida Orchestra, and more. john attained a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. His research focused on the role of chaperone proteins in Alzheimer’s disease and stress-related psychiatric disorders. John is a Yamaha Artist and plays Yamaha pianos exclusively.