TeaPOT - November 21st, 6:00pm

TeaPOT is a modern organ trio rooted in groove, deep improvisation, and musical connection. Featuring Josh Blake on guitar, Taylor Pierson on organ, and Claude Coleman Jr. on drums, this show will also include special guest Justin Stanton, multi-instrumentalist from Snarky Puppy.

The band draws from the classic organ-trio tradition, with nods to artists such as Reuben Wilson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Soulive, and more. TeaPOT’s sound is dynamic, soulful, and driven by conversation as much as composition, always pushing the music forward with modern harmonic language and adventurous interplay.

Josh Blake is a guitarist, producer, and engineer who has spent nearly three decades at the heart of the Asheville, North Carolina, music scene. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, he set down roots in Asheville in 1997 and has since built a reputation as a versatile improviser, sharing stages with artists like Warren Haynes, Eric Krasno, STS9, and Mike Gordon.

Of his many musical projects, one of his current focuses is TeaPOT, which draws on the classic organ-guitar-drums lineage—a format built for the kind of interplay and in-the-moment conversation that jazz audiences live for—while pulling from the deep pocket and harmonic language he has absorbed from years of playing funk, soul, and groove-based music.

A Grammy-nominated engineer as well as a performer, Blake also spends his time behind the board at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studio, giving him a producer’s ear for space, dynamics, and tone that carries directly into his playing. Whether leading his trio or sitting in with other bands around town, he brings a musician’s instinct for listening and reacting—the same qualities that have made him a fixture and one of the most in-demand guitarists and producers in the Asheville scene.

Claude Coleman Jr. is best known worldwide as the drummer for the genre-defying rock band Ween, a role he has held since the mid-1990s. A multi-instrumentalist, he has also worked with Eagles of Death Metal, Chocolate Genius, and Elysian Fields, and fronts his own solo project, Amandla.

Coleman relocated to Asheville from New Jersey in 2012, quickly embedding himself in the city’s music community. But his impact there goes far beyond performing. Together with bassist Brett Spivey, he brought SoundSpace @Rabbit’s to life in Asheville’s South Slope, occupying the historic site of Rabbit’s Motel and Café, a haven for Black travelers during segregation that first opened in 1947. The facility became Asheville’s first professional public-access music rehearsal space.

As Coleman himself puts it, “I love to play. I have to play. I don’t know anything else. Anywhere, everywhere, all the time.” That spirit—equal parts musician and community champion—defines his place as an artist and as a major contributor to Asheville’s music scene.

Taylor Pierson is one of Asheville’s most versatile and sought-after keyboard players, equally at home behind a grand piano, Hammond organ, or synthesizer. A contributor to an endless list of projects in Asheville, he has most recently been bringing the organ-trio format to life through the deep pocket and harmonic sophistication of his project, TeaPOT. Taylor brings his signature musicality to every stage he touches.

A true keys-and-synth wizard, Pierson’s playing is defined by an incredible, reactive ear—the kind of listening that turns a trio into a real conversation. From intimate rooms to festival stages, his sets move fluidly between atmospheric synth textures, greasy Hammond organ riffs, and delicate, harmonically rich piano work, reflecting the full range of a player equally comfortable in the pocket or out on a limb. It is this combination of taste, chops, and reactivity that has made him one of the most in-demand collaborators in Asheville’s jazz and improvised music scene.

Justin Stanton is a trumpeter, keyboardist, composer, and producer best known for his role in the Grammy-winning band Snarky Puppy. Raised in Elizabethton, Tennessee, he earned a degree from East Tennessee State University before heading to the University of North Texas for jazz studies, where he spent two years in the One O’Clock Lab Band and met future members of Snarky Puppy.

He has performed and recorded with Snarky Puppy since 2006, appearing on the majority of the group’s studio and live recordings as it has grown into a five-time Grammy Award-winning act.

Beyond Snarky Puppy, Stanton has built a reputation as a versatile collaborator, recording and performing with artists such as David Crosby, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, Musiq Soulchild, Salif Keita, Terence Blanchard, and Chris Potter. He released his solo debut album, Secret Place, in 2019 and has since continued exploring his own projects, including a collaboration with longtime Justin Stanton is a trumpeter, keyboardist, composer, and producer best known for his role in the Grammy-winning band Snarky Puppy. Raised in Elizabethton, Tennessee, he earned a degree from East Tennessee State University before heading to the University of North Texas for jazz studies, where he spent two years in the One O' Clock Lab Band and met the future members of Snarky Puppy. He has performed and recorded with Snarky Puppy since 2006, appearing on the majority of the group's studio and live recordings as it has grown into a five-time Grammy Award-winning act. Beyond Snarky Puppy, Stanton has built a reputation as a versatile collaborator, recording and performing with artists such as David Crosby, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, Musiq Soulchild, Salif Keita, Terence Blanchard, and Chris Potter. He released his solo debut album, Secret Place, in 2019, and has since continued exploring his own projects, including a collaboration with longtime bandmate Chris Bullock called Claroe Escuro, recorded in Rio de Janeiro. Known for his facility on both trumpet and keys, along with his deep knowledge of synthesis and sound design, Stanton continues to split his time between performing, composing, and producing.