Jonah Parzen-Johnson, Brian Grimm
Arts + Literature Laboratory 111 S. Livingston St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm
$10 ($8 adv.).
press release: Brooklyn-based saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson is proud to announce his new album I Try To Remember Where I Come From, due July 7, 2017 on Clean Feed Records. Jonah creates music for solo saxophone, but through the use of circular breathing techniques, he plays melodic runs over analog synthesizers that he manipulates simultaneously with his feet. To ring in the announcement, Jonah has revealed the video for album opener "Cabin Pressure" in a premiere via XLR8R, who noted that "...Parzen-Johnson crafts transfixing sonics that meld traditional folk ideals with his own experimentation."
"Cabin Pressure" by Jonah Parzen-Johnson
Jonah Parzen-Johnson is a saxophonist living in Brooklyn, New York. He writes music for solo saxophone and analog synthesizer. Imagine the raw energy of an Appalachian Folk choir, tempered by a lofi, minimal aesthetic. His carefully assembled analog synthesizer breathes with his saxophone, building independent melodic layers to support his sound, or soaring above his extended technique driven saxophone playing. All performed live, without any looping or recorded samples. A Chicago native, Jonah's circular breathing, multi-phonics and inclusively experimental style owe a debt to the Chicago saxophone legacy, but his devotion to a quirky almost vocal approach places him in new territory for the solo saxophone. He has meticulously constructed a world of warm memories remembered in a cold present, as he melds the evocative nature of folk music with the chilling power of experimentalism. Along with playing solo, Jonah is a co-leader of Brooklyn Afrobeat outfit Zongo Junction.
"Saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson tells stories in sound." - The Boston Globe
"The ideal soundtrack to a scene in an offbeat indie where the two protagonists come together
and have violent weird-sex followed by tender snuggles." - Noisey
"A poetic horn-smith and master manipulator of melodic sounds." - The Village Voice
"Parzen-Johnson doesn't care much for musical labels, preferring instead to carve out
unique sonic spaces." - PopMatters
"There's an insatiable quality to all that tracks that stirs an inspiration for activity." - Tiny Mix Tapes