Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jonah Parzen-Johnson: Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow

4

Jonah Parzen-Johnson: Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow

By

View read count
Jonah Parzen-Johnson: Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow
Hymn-like melodies, oscillating and quivering sounds, and a mixture of solemnity and adventurousness all inform the solo work of saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson. On Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow, Parzen-Johnson is all by his lonesome with his baritone saxophone and analog synthesizer, creating what could rightly be described as trance spirituals for the modern epoch or, in the words of the man himself, "lo-fi experimental folk music."

Parzen-Johnson, a Chicago native who's now based in Brooklyn, was steeped in the creative ethos of the AACM from an early age. He studied with saxophonist Matana Roberts, attended many a jam session directed by the late Fred Anderson, and basked in the glow of the music created by many of that organization's forward-thinking members. Given those influences, it should come as no surprise that he's carved his own path and proven to be a highly creative nonconformist. While performing solo, Parzen-Johnson envelops his saxophone with hypnotic, pedal-operated synthesizer lines, creating a striking blend of sounds that can be peculiar and profound all at once. And through the use of extended horn techniques—circular breathing, vocalizing through his horn a la Colin Stetson, and working with multiphonics—he's able to take things even further, turning homespun melodic motifs into multi-dimensional offerings.

The music presented on Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow can be eerie ("Eyes Like Paddles"), serene and endearing (Neil Young's "On The Way Home"), or trippy and soothing in nature ("Never Stop Counting"). Parzen-Johnson sings songs of praise through his horn, sets off arresting ideas with his analog synthesizer, and blends the two to create something singular in the process. And lest the skeptics think he used any studio smoke and mirrors to create this music, it should be noted that all of it was recorded live to two track tape with no overdubs, loops, or sonic trickery of any sort at play. This is true solo music that touches the soul, speaks to the mind, and captures the imagination.

Track Listing

I Keep Thinking Sit Down; If You Can't Sleep, Just Shut Your Eyes; Never Stop Counting; Eyes Like Paddles; I Wrote A Story About You, Without You; Stay There, I'll Come To You; On the Way Home.

Personnel

Jonah Parzen-Johnson
saxophone, baritone

Jonah Parzen-Johnson: baritone saxophone and analog synthesizer.

Album information

Title: Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Primary Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.