Aaron M. Johnson
Aaron M. Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Johnson in 2022 | |
| Born | June 9, 1991 Coos Bay, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, writer, performance artist |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Relatives | Joanne Verger (grandmother) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Jazz, bebop, swing |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, clarinet, flute |
| Website | aaronjohnsonisunderground |
Aaron Michael Johnson (born June 9, 1991) is an American jazz saxophonist, writer and performance artist.[2]
Early life
[edit]Aaron Johnson began expressing interest in music at a young age.[3] While he could play music fluently by the age of 13, he still could not read notation. His earliest woodwinds instructor Matt Utal[4] recounted, "He was precocious, very bright and advanced for his age. I stressed the importance of learning to read, and he bogged down for a long time and became a great reader."[5] Johnson was educated at Manhattan School of Music.[3][6]
Career
[edit]At 18 Johnson was chosen as lead alto saxophonist in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensemble, with whom he performed and attended 51st Annual Grammy week.[7]
In 2014, in New York, he produced an historically accurate recreation of the Charlie Parker with Strings albums,[3] thenceforth becoming a fixture on New York's bebop scene, initially with his ensemble Aaron Johnson's Reboppers,[7][8] and eventually with the Aaron Johnson Quartet.[9]
Awards and honors
[edit]In 2009, at 17, Johnson became the youngest musician ever to be awarded the Outstanding Soloist title at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Friedwald, W. (March 16, 2021). "This Bitter Earth by Veronica Swift Review: Dysfunction, Danger and Dependency". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Ricci, M. (March 27, 2021). Aaron Johnson. All About Jazz.
- ^ a b c "Aaron Johnson". ReverbNation.
- ^ E-Newsletter, Oregon Coast Music Association, Spring/Summer 2020.
- ^ Hockema, C. (February 6, 2009). "Mister Independent". The World.
- ^ Jarenwattananon, P. (October 9, 2009). "Old vs. New and Other Inanities: The Friday Link Dump". NPR Jazz.
- ^ a b "Your Bebop, Coming Right Up: The Aaron Johnson Jazz Quintet". Lincoln City News Guard. December 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Wright, C. (January 6, 2015). "Bebop and Cool Jazz". Statesman Journal.
- ^ Leslie, P. (November 6, 2019). "Episode #326—Aaron M. Johnson". The Paul Leslie Hour.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Johnson, A. M., "Initiation, Adepthood, Contact: Charlie Parker as Mystic, Higher Intelligence and Interdimensional Entity", Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art, September 2020
- SmallsLIVE Foundation, Aaron Johnson, 2012–present
