Wayward Music Series: Jonah Parzen-Johnson + Icasiano/Goldston

Lori Goldston, cello
Chris Icasiano, drums
Jonah Parzen-Johnson, saxophone

Jonah Parzen-Johnson (Brooklyn, NY) writes music for solo saxophone and analog synthesizer. Imagine the raw energy of an Appalachian Folk choir, tempered by a lo-fi, 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 baritone 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. Since, 2012 Jonah has toured over 30 thousand miles across the US and back, playing in venues like The Stone, Zebulon, & Trans-Pecos in NYC, Constellation in Chicago, and The CMG Improvisors Summit in Portland OR. Along with playing solo, Jonah is a co-leader of Brooklyn Afrobeat outfit, Zongo Junction, and an active part of Brooklyn NY’s independent and experimental music communities.

Seattle drummer Chris Icasiano (Bad Luck) and cellist Lori Goldston unite for duo improvisations.

About Wayward Music Series

Each month, Nonsequitur and a community of like-minded organizations and artists present 10 concerts of adventurous and experimental music in the gorgeous Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center: contemporary/post-classical composition, free improvisation and the outer limits of jazz, electronic/electroacoustic music, new instruments, phonography, sound art, and other innovative musics.