FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8th: Internationally reknown, composer and bassist, Max Johnson, returns to BLU Jazz with his trio, featuring Neta Raanan (tenor saxophone), and Eliza Salem (drumset)!
Described as “an intrepid composer, architect of sound and beast of the bass…” (Brad Cohan, NYC Jazz Record) composer, bassist, and improviser Max Johnson is one of the most prolific music makers in the jazz, bluegrass, improvised music, and contemporary classical worlds. Johnson has released nearly 20 albums and performed over three thousand concerts internationally with artists like Anthony Braxton, Geri Allen, Mary Halvorson, David Grisman, Tyshawn Sorey, Ingrid Laubrock, Henry Grimes, Candido Camero, Sam Bush, Nels Cline, and many more. He has composed commissions for the Jerome Foundation, Society of Composers Inc, University of Glasgow, has been featured on over seventy albums, and can be heard in Spike Lee’s Academy Award winning film, “The BlacKkKlansman”. For this concert, Max Johnson presents his incredible new trio with Neta Raanan on tenor saxophone and Eliza Salem on drumset, celebrating their 2024 album, "I'll see you again". This trio explores Johnson’s more traditional jazz compositions inspired by innovators Charles Mingus, Mal Waldron, and Thelonious Monk, while always featuring Johnson's unique energetic and chaotic soundworld.
"Multi-faceted bassist Max Johnson helms a terrific trio... Here and elsewhere, evidence of Johnson's composer's ear surfaces in how cannily he extracts maximum impact from the three voices." - John Sharpe, The New York City Jazz Record