Hi, it’s me, Jonah, the baritone saxophonist. Remember?

Before I dive in, a few quick notes. Let’s keep it interesting. How about you choose your own adventure?

Adventure 1: You live in NYC

Nora Stanley and I have a new duo endeavor that will be making its first public appearance at the Downtown Music Gallery on April 13 at 6pm. Come be the first to see these worlds combine.

Adventure 2: You live in Milwaukee

Corridor, a full length film for which I composed the score, is an official selection for the 2024 Milwaukee Film Festival. There are screenings on April 13, 21 & 22, and tickets are on sale now! I’m super excited about this. There’s a rumor I’ll be at the screening on April 21.

Adventure 3: You live anywhere else

My new album ‘You’re Never Really Alone’ is almost a month old.  If you live in the USA you can buy directly from me. If you live outside the USA you can find the most reasonable shipping price here. I’m not gonna tell you that you have to order it, because that would be difficult to enforce, but I would encourage you to seriously consider it. Why? Because it is the very best way to show me that you believe in what I’m doing, and that you want it to keep happening. That support means a lot!

Ok, I hope you had a good adventure.

In March, I played 14 shows in 11 cities across North America. I hesitate to call it an album release tour, because I’m gonna keep touring no matter what, but I was talking about the album a lot, so that’s what it was, I guess. It was really great.

When I’m on tour, it’s pretty common for someone from the venue or other bands to ask how the tour has been going. Usually there are a handful of great shows, some ok shows, and a few really tough ones. That’s experimental music. Or so I thought. This tour felt different. 

A few days into my travels, I began to notice this strange sensation that I have basically never felt on tour in my life: satisfaction. At first, I started to worry this was a sign I wasn’t setting the bar high enough. I’m an anxious person, and I fear self-imposed mediocrity more than pretty much anything else, but a bit more reflection has led me to let go of that fear and draw another, nicer, conclusion.

As many of you can personally attest, this run of shows featured more familiar faces than any tour previous. Each and every night, a handful of you, people who I’d first met when they listened to me play and decided to put their email address in my phone, came over and said hello. For almost three weeks you reminded me what makes me happiest about experimental music, and it is the fact that we are a community. A community that comes back.

I don’t want to get overly optimistic, but I’m hopeful that the more we build together, and the more I see all of you over and over at shows across the world, the less strange this feeling of satisfaction will feel. If that does happen, it will be a powerful testament to the generosity, empathy, curiosity, and warmth you all regularly bring with you when you come out to shows in your town. Shows like mine, but surely not just mine. 

You are building something really special and I am very grateful. 

See you soon, 

Jonah