Bio

Jonah Parzen-Johnson makes music for baritone saxophone & flute that challenges listeners with experimental textures & forms while embracing them with warm approachable melodies. A Chicago native and longtime Brooklyn resident, Jonah has performed solo in more than a dozen countries across four continents. You might find him at Jazz festivals in Berlin, Helsinki & Seattle, concert halls in Istanbul & Bruges, rock clubs in Rotterdam, Montreal & Rome, or Jazz clubs in New York & Chicago. His solo performances are a deeply intimate experience, as he endeavors to share who he is, how he sees our world, and the temporary moments of community that we can all embrace together.

Press

Autechre-esque pings, burbles and boings swirl together in the backs as Parzen-Johnson takes deep, chest rattling sax solos that scale the same ecstatic heights as Mats Gustafson but in a much more disciplined and mantra-like manner. – The Wire Magazine

“Parzen-Johnson’s vaguely alien compositions split the difference between the organic and the synthetic with a far-reaching, expressive sound that carries an indefinable beauty.” – LA Times

“Jonah Parzen-Johnson drifts away from his jazz background toward a less defined terrain that suggests Brian Eno, film soundtracks, and the spaces between.” – The New Yorker Magazine

“As intimate as a whispered confession.” – Mojo Magazine

” Parzen-Johnson is more interested in memory, as a wisp and a venue for solidarity with oneself. It works.” – The New York Times

“A rare specialist in that most challenging of disciplines, the solo recital.” – London Jazz News

“With every melodious note, circular breath and heavy drone, Parzen-Johnson delivers a work of intense beauty.” – New York City Jazz Record

“A meditative invocation of self-realization.” – Jazziz Magazine