Aaron M. Johnson — artist
Aaron Johnson is the present-day keeper of the Beatnik flame and at 32 years old, has established himself as one of the leading voices within contemporary American Counterculture. Widely considered the preeminent Bebop saxophonist of his generation as well as an iconoclastic writer whose work often courts controversy with energetic, critically acclaimed live performances that incorporate/blend Jazz with Poetry and humorous Spoken Word, Johnson’s public appearances often blur the line between a Jazz concert and a performance art piece. A 15 year veteran of the New York Jazz Underground, he has held a long-standing Sunday night residency at Smalls Jazz Club in Greenwich Village (mostly in collaboration with the Composer/Pianist Sacha Perry). Johnson has recorded 4 albums as a leader as well as published 2 books of poetry/ miscellaneous prose and has performed and/or recorded with a long list of prominent Jazz musicians including Slide Hampton, Chuck Israels, Jon Batiste, Ken Peplowski, Veronica Swift, Connie Crothers, Emmet Cohen, Allen Lowe, Benny Benack III, Joey Cavaseno, Steven Feifke, John Colianni, Dwayne Clemons, Jon-Erik Kellso, Joe Cohn, Bob Mover, ensembles such as the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Grammy Award Winning Steven Feifke Big Band, John Colianni Jazz Orchestra and Bobby Sanabria’s Grammy nominated Multiverse Big Band. Aaron Johnson has recorded for major Jazz labels such as ESP-Disk and Mack Avenue Records. Johnson is currently a recording artist on High Horse Records and is working on his 3rd book, a postmodern novel in collaboration with Dr. David Woodard.