Jo Ann Daugherty

Born in rural Missouri in 1974, Jo Ann Daugherty first approached the piano by ear during early childhood. Formal lessons began at age five under the sole classical instructor serving her isolated region, an experience that locked in her determination to pursue music. Country music reached her through radio airplay, Christmas recordings filled the household during holidays, and pop entered her rotation at age eleven. Roughly one hundred miles from any sizable city, she absorbed every recording she could locate. Restaurant gigs in nearby small towns commenced at age fifteen, when jazz also entered her awareness.

While earning a classical piano performance degree at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, she grew increasingly drawn to jazz through studies with tenor saxophonist Rick DiMuzio, who later moved to Boston to join the faculty of the Berklee School of Music. With no jazz piano instructor on campus, she absorbed modern and progressive elements via DiMuzio’s deep engagement with John Coltrane and Joe Henderson. Graduate work followed at DePaul University in Chicago, where pianist Larry Novak provided guidance. At that stage her key reference points included Wynton Kelly, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, and Stevie Wonder.

After completing her studies she spent two years in Kansas City, performing regularly, leading her own trio, and working with numerous other ensembles. She returned to Chicago in 1998 to sustain her development. From that time forward she has balanced leadership and sideman roles while touring the United States with an array of musical and theatrical productions. In 1999 she was selected for the Chicago Jazz Exchange Quartet’s two-week concert series in Giverny, France. Collaborations have included Randy Brecker, John Abercrombie, Howard Levy, and additional established players.

Her first trio album, Debut, appeared in 2000 on the Blu Jazz label and was followed by the small-ensemble recording Range of Motion. She continues to perform across metro Chicago clubs, concerts, and festivals, serves as a founding member of the Chicago Jazz Composers Collective, regularly presents original material at the Green Mill nightclub, and maintains a steady schedule at Bandera Restaurant. Additional work has encompassed engagements with the U.S.O. of Illinois and clinics plus lecture-performances at several area schools.