Arts + Literature Laboratory welcomes the Russ Johnson Quartet on Friday, June 9, 2017. The ensemble includes Russ Johnson (trumpet/compositions), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Anton Hatwich (bass), and Tim Daisy (percussion). The group will be premiering new music for an upcoming recording. Tickets are $15 in advance online at http://russjohnsonquartet.bpt.me or $18 at the door. Online sales end one hour before the show.
Trumpeter Russ Johnson is a recent Midwest transplant after spending 23 years as an important member of New York City’s jazz community. He has 6 recordings as a leader or co-leader and performed on more than 75 recordings as a sideman. Russ has worked alongside many of the legendary figures in jazz including Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow, Bill Frisell, and Joe Lovano. In addition, Russ has recorded and/or performed with a long list of the most prominent musicians currently on the international jazz scene, including Myra Melford, Ken Vandermark, and Tony Malaby. Russ has performed in more than 40 countries across the globe.
The Russ Johnson Quartet is his latest project and features three Chicago musicians with international acclaim. This group recently performed at the Umbrella Festival in Chicago in November of 2013, and the 2014 Chicago Jazz Festival in Millennium Park. Their new recording “Meeting Point” was released in May of 2014 on Relay Recordings. “Meeting Point” received 4 ½ stars in the May issue of Down Beat magazine & has been listed among the “Best CD’s of 2014” in the January 2015 issue of Down Beat. Magnet magazine recently placed “Meeting Point” on its “Top 10 CD’s of 2014” in the jazz/improvisation category.
October of 2014 saw the release of “Still Out to Lunch,” on the German label Enja. The group performs the music of Eric Dolphy, and recently headlined “Edge Fest” in Ann Arbor Michigan and has a January 2015 performance scheduled at NYC’s “Winter Jazz Fest.”
