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Jonathan Suazo

Jonathan Suazo is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and cultural seeder who utilizes music to shine a light on elements of his Puerto Rican and Dominican roots. Jonathan was named one of the top ten emerging Jazz artists of 2023 by the GRAMMYS and his debut album “Ricano” (Ropeadope Records) was listed as one of the best Jazz albums of 2023 by The New York Times.

A Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate (M.M), he’s received many honors including the 2024 Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, The WBUR Makers Series Award for generating impact in the Boston's community, The Winter 2023 South Arts Jazz Road Tours Grant, and the Berklee Urban Service Award for using the arts to bring awareness about the needs of the Puerto Rican people during hurricane Maria and supporting humanitarianism. Jonathan has also served as a grant reviewer for organizations like New Music USA and Mid Atlantic.

Catalina Maria Johnson of Downbeat Jazz Mag describes his music as “a soundscape propelled by lyrical sax playing” and Giovanni Rusonnello from the New York Times describes his music as “richly built, written from the heart and packed with complexity, always seeking the next level of altitude.”

Suazo’s resume includes collaborations / performances with Miguel Zenón, Terri Lyne Carrington, David Sánchez, Charlie Sepúlveda, Gonzalo Grau, Danilo Perez, Ricky Rodriguez, Ileana Cabra (iLÉ), Calma Carmona, Rakalam Bob Moses, Joe Lovano, Paoli Mejias, Humberto Ramirez, David Rivera, Tito Matos, Ricardo Pons, William Cepeda, Jon Secada, Pedro Capó, Obie Bermudez, Hans Glawischnig, Humberto Ramirez, Silverio Perez, Tony Escapa

Source: Jonathan Suazo

Awards

Ricano #6 Jazz Album of 2023Ricano #6 Jazz Album of 2023 - Issued by The new york times · Dec 2023 *Ricano #4 Best Album Productions of 2023 (Puerto RicoRicano #4 Best Album Productions of 2023 (Puerto Rico - Issued by Fundacion Nacional Para la Cultura Popular · Jan 2024 *CMA - 2024 New Jazz Works GrantCMA - 2024 New Jazz Works Grant - Issued by Chamber Music America · Jun 2024. WBUR - THE MAKERS WBUR - Issued by WBUR on Oct 2024 *Artist of The Month - Somos Grandes (September 2023)Artist of The Month - Somos Grandes (September 2023)Issued by Somos Grandes - España · Sep 2023 *Full Tuition Scholarship to Berklee Global Jazz Institute Masters Program 2016 -Berklee Urban Service Award (2018)- For using arts to support Humanitarianism -Grammy Award (Sideman 2016) - For work on Ilevitable by Ileana Cabra -FNCP Top 10 indie albums from Puerto Rico (2013) - JS Self produced Album "Extracts of a Desire" -FNCP Top 10 indie albums from Puerto Rico (2014) - JS Self produced Album "Vital"

Gear

Boston Sax Shop - S Series Mouthpiece

Boston Sax Shop - Silver Plated Ligature

Boston Sax Shop - Silver Plated Heritage Neck

Pranayama Instrument Sanitizer

Jonathan Suazo, Carlos Niño, Wayne Horvitz, André 3000 & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
December 12, 2023

We open this week's edition with a few projects that represent the essence of the world fusion that is taking place in these modern times, and we close it with a few projects that gravitate around that music catalyst that Carlos Niño is. In between, projects that will let your fantasy fly.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Matthieu Saglio “Temps moderns" Voices (ACT) 0:16 Host talks 5:30 Jonathan ...

Album Review

No Base Trio: NBT II

by Mike Jurkovic
October 11, 2022

On their often pulse-quickening, wholly improvised double disc, NBT II, the intrepid No Base Trio—alto saxophonist Jonathan Suazo, guitarist Gabriel Vicéns and drummer Leonardo Osuna— draw on their own inner tensions and tenacity for a roiling and immersive exploration of jazz's more open-ended, less categorized, freer regions. Picking up where 2020's cascading debut No Base Trio (Setola di Maiale) left off, NBT instigate and inhabit the shadowlands. Snatches of their native Puerto Rican folk dance roll like cumulus ...

Album Review

Jonathan Suazo / Gabriel Vicens / Leonardo Osuna: No Base Trio

Read "No Base Trio" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
July 10, 2020

There's an eery sumptuousness to the gravity-free, genre-less sound of No Base Trio that makes it incredibly difficult to get on with the day. The slant and tilt of modular sonic eruptions grab immediate attention. Its cascading, formless ambience affords strange new spaces to inhabit, explore, and contemplate during lockdown. Hailing from Puerto Rico, this debut recording features the imaginative, often volatile union of guitarist Gabriel Vicéns, alto saxophonist Jonathan Suazo and drummer Leonardo Osuna threading the free ...

Album Review

Joan Torres's All Is Fused: Revolution

Read "Revolution" reviewed by Paul Naser

by Paul Naser
April 15, 2020

Amidst the chaos that is the year 2020, Joan Torres's All Is Fused has found the time to release an alt take of the closer from their 2019 album, Revolution (Self Produced). The new version of “Finale" is a collaboration with bass virtuoso Bubby Lewis. Of the collaboration, Torres says: “I wanted someone who was a bit of a kindred spirit in this musical journey but with a considerably different style. The stars then lined up somehow because Bubby Lewis....was ...

Album Review

Joan Torres's All Is Fused: Revolution

by Paul Naser
April 16, 2019

Since the band's last record, Of The Musical (Self Produced, 2016), Joan Torres' All Is Fused has taken time to dig deeper into its influences and expand its sound. This year All Is Fused returns with an evolved vibe that finds it delving deep into fusion and Latin with a slight nod to the avant-garde and Thundercat among other styles. The result is Revolution.The album begins with the on-topic, high intensity “Rebellion." Torres, who serves as the project's ...

Album Review

Gabriel Vicéns: Coming Back

Read "Coming Back" reviewed by Mark Sullivan

by Mark Sullivan
February 12, 2019

The rules for releasing music have been in flux for some time, and the digital single has made its way from pop music to jazz. Puerto Rican jazz guitarist/composer Gabriel Vicéns (now a New York City resident) presents an unreleased track from the recording sessions for his second album Days (Inner Circle Music, 2015). The guitarist found the rough mix of this song by accident and since he still related to the track he arranged for it to be mixed ...

Album Review

Gabriel Vicéns: Days

Read "Days" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
April 6, 2016

Non ancora trentenne il chitarrista portoricano Gabriel Vicéns dimostra di sapersi muovere disinvoltamente nel mare magnum del modern mainstrem, con piglio autorevole nella conduzione musicale, con studiata scaltrezza nel variare mood e atmosfere, con intelligenza nell'assicurarsi i servigi di due vecchie volpi come il sassofonista David Sanchez e il trombettista Alex Sipiagin anche co-produttore del disco, pubblicato dalla etichetta discografica di Greg Osby. Il clima generale della registrazione non può non risentire della provenienza geografica del nostro, che ha tuttavia ...

"This is richly built, effusively played Latin jazz, written from the heart and packed with complexity, always seeking the next level of altitude."

GIOVANNNI RUSSONELLO

(THE NEW YORK TIMES)

"Suazo envelops us in
a soundscape propelled by lyrical sax playing"

CATALINA MARIA JOHNSON (DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE)

FELIX CONTRERAS

(NPR Tiny Desk)

"From the start of his song "Heroes," we know we're not in jazz Kansas anymore, right?"