Chris Jonas

Chris Jonas (born September 3, 1966, in Newport Beach, California) is a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based composer, conductor, soprano and tenor saxophone player, filmmaker, and video artist.

Chris Jonas
Background information
Born (1966-09-03) September 3, 1966
Genresjazz, experimental music, avant-garde jazz, free jazz, contemporary classical music, free improvisation
Occupation(s)Musician, Composer, Conductor, Educator, Video Artist, Installation Artist, New Media Artist

Jonas has performed, recorded, and toured around the world with many musicians including TILT Brass..[1], the Crossing Choir,[2] Del Sol String Quartet,[3] Butch Morris,[4] Assif Tsahar,[5] James Emery,[6] Myra Melford,[7] William Parker,[8] Cecil Taylor,[9] and Anthony Braxton[10]

Since 1997, Jonas has acted as a board member of the Tri-Centric Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to the ongoing work of Anthony Braxton, and is currently acting there as Vice President[11]

In 2014, Jonas worked with Anthony Braxton in partnership with the Tri-Centric Foundation to create a projected video environment for Braxton's third major production of an opera, Trillium J (The Non-Unconfessionables),[12] which premiered at Roulette, in Brooklyn, NY.[13] For the 2015 Torino Jazz Festival[14] and the 2019 Berlin Jazz Festival,[15] Jonas served as a conductor[16] for Braxton’s 63-person orchestra project, Sonic Genome, a six-hour-long piece.

Among the venues Jonas performed at and worked with include Lincoln Center, The Torino Jazz Festival, the Berlin Jazz Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Roulette Intermedium, Casa del jazz, De Singel in Antwerp, The Lensic Theater, the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork, Ireland, Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris, The Verona Jazz Festival, FMP Total Music Meeting with Cecil Taylor and Steve Lacy,[17] the Knitting Factory, Yoshis, The Stone, JVC Jazz Festival, the Vision Festival, Icebox, the Center for New Music, Z-Space in San Francisco, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Gropius Bau in Berlin, and the National Theater and Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan.

Jonas and artist/composer Molly Sturges co-founded a non-profit in New Mexico named, Littleglobe, an arts and social justice organization, where Jonas currently acts as Co-Director.[18] Also with Sturges, Jonas is the recipient of the 2008 United States Artists Award in music and media as a Simon Fellow.[19] He is a winner of the 2012 Meet the Composer/Commissioning USA Award for his multi-media immersive installations titled, GARDEN.

Biography

Jonas attended Oberlin College where he played music but majored in art, earning his bachelor's degree in Art History/Art Studio in 1988, after which he moved to Oakland, CA to pursue a career in painting. In 1989, he met Anthony Braxton at Mills College, who would later become his lifelong collaborator.[20]

In 1991, Jonas moved to New York, studying jazz at the New School for Social Research. Over the next decade he joined many projects there including those of William Parker, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton,[21] the Brooklyn Sax Quartet, and Butch Morris‘ conduction ensembles.[22]

From 1992 to 1994, Jonas studied theory, harmony, and composition at Mannes School of Music with Robert Cuckson. During this time he became part of William Parker’s Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra from 1992 to 2001.[23] In 1993, Jonas helped to found the New York Improvisors Collective (1994–95), which eventually became the Vision Festival.

From 1995 to 1997, Jonas worked with Cecil Taylor to build an open-framework of scores for Taylor's compositions. It was also in 1995 that Jonas began working with Anthony Braxton. From 1996 to 1999, Jonas studied composition at Wesleyan University where he earned a Masters in World Music/Composition. It was there he met his future collaborator Molly Sturges. In 2001, Jonas earned a Certificate in Multimedia Digital Design from New York University before relocating to Santa Fe, New Mexico with Sturges. Sturges and Jonas would go on to win the 2008 United States Artists Award in music and media as a Simon Fellow, and to co-found Littleglobe in Santa Fe, NM. Jonas is also a winner of the 2012 Meet the Composer/Commissioning USA Award for GARDEN, a live music and immersive multi-media installation series.

Jonas has received commissions for large-scale installation, video, and musical performance works in the US and in Europe. These works include pieces with the Del Sol String Quartet, the Crossing Choir, Duo B Experimental Band, and the Chicago Improvisors Group. He's received commissions from the Museo Nacional de Antropología de México in Mexico City for the video and soundtrack installation of La Reina Roja (2005), and Odenwald 1152 (2007), both with collaborator Molly Sturges and painter Ricardo Mazal. Other commissions include the Obras Artist-in-Residence Center in Alentejo, Portugal for night (2004), the Triskel Arts Centre and the European Capital of Culture Festival in Cork, Ireland for moment (2005), SITE Santa Fe’s sixth and seventh international Biennial exhibitions for In Situ (2007) and Malangan (2009), and was commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera and the Lensic Performing Arts Center for Memorylines (2007), a contemporary opera for which Jonas received the 2007 New Visions/New Mexico Contract Award.[24]

Jonas has taught Music and Media at Wesleyan University, the College of Santa Fe, and for the New Media Arts Program at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, NM.

Selected Discography

Jonas has appeared on more than 65 releases. To see a full list, view his AllMusic page.

  • Eeyahdi, Goggle Saxophone Quartet, 2021
  • Thollem's Astral Traveling Sessions, Thollem / Santistevan / DeFoe / Hutchinson / Jonas, 2021, Astral Spirits
  • Pentet, Pentet, 2020
  • These Times, Ornetc, 2020
  • Almeda (To Matie), Cecil Taylor, 2012, FMP
  • Corona, Cecil Taylor & Sunny Murray, 2012, FMP
  • Galore, Bing, 2004
  • Adventure Reality, Amitosis, 2002
  • The Vermilion, Chris Jonas' The Sun Spits Cherries featuring Myra Melford, 2001, Hopscotch
  • Ensembles Unsynchronized, Chris Jonas Quintet, 2000, NewSonic Records
  • The Sun Spits Cherries, Chris Jonas’ The Sun Spits Cherries, 1999, Hopscotch Records
  • Child King Dictator Fool, Great Circle Saxophone Quartet, 1997, New World Records
  • Echo Echo Mirror House (NYC), Anthony Braxton, 2011, Catalog #: NBH035
  • GTM (OUTPOST) 2003 Composition 255 & 265, Anthony Braxton, Chris Jonas & Molly Sturges, 2010, Leo Records
  • Septet (Pittsburgh) 2008, Anthony Braxton, 2008, Catalog #: NBH001
  • Almeda, Cecil Taylor, 2005, FMP
  • Mass for the Healing of the World, William Parker & the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, 2004, Black Saint
  • Alto Quartets, James Fei, 2004, Organized Sound
  • Light of Corona, Cecil Taylor, 2003, FMP
  • Tentet (Paris), Anthony Braxton, 2001, Catalog #: NBH037
  • The Sun Spits Cherries (with Joe Fiedler, Chris Washburne, Andrew Barker), 2000, Hopscotch
  • Tentet (Wesleyan) 2000, Anthony Braxton, 2000, Catalog #:NBH013 NBH014
  • Tentet (Antwerp) 2000, Anthony Braxton, 2000, Catalog #:NBH009.1 NBH009.2
  • Tentet (Wesleyan) 1999, Anthony Braxton, 1999, Catalog #: NBH020 NBH021
  • Trillium R: Shala Fears for the Poor (Opera), Anthony Braxton, 1999, Catalog #: BH008
  • Sax Quintet (Middletown), Anthony Braxton, 1998, Catalog #:NBH006.1 NBH006.2
  • Sax Quintet (NYC) 1998, Anthrony Braxton, 1998, Catalog #: NBH038
  • Three Orchestras (GTM) 1998, Anthony Braxton, 1998
  • Ensembles Unsynchronized (with James Fei, Cuong Vu, Joe Fiedler, Kevin Norton), 1998, Newsonic
  • Four Compositions (Washington, D.C.) 1998, Anthrony Braxton, 1999
  • Two Compositions (Trio) 1998, Anthrony Braxton, 1998
  • Composition 169 + Ghost Trance (Ljubjiana), Anthony Braxton / The Slovenia National Radio Orchestra, 2001, Leo Records
  • Mayor of Punkville, William Parker's "Little Huey" Orchestra, William Parker, 2000, Aum
  • The Way of the Saxophone, Brooklyn Sax Quartet (C. Jonas, Sam Furnace, David Bindman, Fred Ho), 2000, Innova
  • The Hollow World, Assif Tsahar’s Brass Reeds Ensemble, 1999, Hopscotch Records
  • Full Circle Suite, Joe Fonda Quintet (C. Jonas, Joe Fonda, Gebhard Ullman, Taylor Ho Bynum, Kevin Norton), 1999, CIMP
  • Vision Vol. I: Vision Fest. ‘97 Compiled "Hoang", William Parker's "Little Huey" Orchestra, 1998, Aum
  • Vision Vol. I: Vision Fest. ‘97 Compiled, "Conduction #72", Butch Morris, 1998, Aum
  • Sunrise on the Tone World, William Parker's "Little Huey" Creative Music Orchestra, 1997, Aum
  • Child King Dictator Fool, Great Circle Saxophone Quartet, 1997, New World Records
  • Flowers Grow in My Room, William Parker's "Little Huey" Creative Music Orchestra, 1994, Centering
  • American Works for Balinese Gamelan Orchestra, Evan Ziporyn/Nyoman Windha’s "Kekembangan"(for sax quartet and Balinese Gamelan Orchestra), Gamelan Sekar Jaya, 1993, New World Records

Awards and honors

Winner of the 2007 New Visions/New Mexico Award for the video portion of Memorylines, commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera.[25]

With Molly Sturges, Jonas received the 2008 United States Artists Award in music and media as Simon Fellow.[26]

Winner of the 2012 Meet the Composer/Commissioning USA Award (a project of the New York State Council on the Arts) for GARDEN, an ongoing series of live music and transmedia works.

Awarded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Commission Grant in 2011 for The Gulf (between you and me)[27] with the Crossing Choir.[28]

References
  1. "Tri-Centric Presenting Series Featuring Works by Chris Jonas & Steve Lehman". Roulette. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  2. Stearns, David Patrick (26 June 2013). "Review: The Crossing choir in new setting, new work". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  3. "Chris Jonas: Garden | Exhibitions | MutualArt". www.ccasantafe.org. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  4. "Butch Morris". Jazzword. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  5. Piotrowski, Daniel (25 April 2019). "Assif Tsahar". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  6. "January — February AMoCA News". The RAiR Foundation. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  7. Meyer, Bill (2001-03-29). "Chris Jonas". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  8. Import, N. C. S. (11 April 2018). "Musical friendships: Chris Jonas/Randy McKean Quartet & Ross Hammond/Jay Nair Duo to perform in Grass Valley". The Union. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  9. "Cecil Taylor: November 1996". burning ambulance. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  10. "Concerts for Living Legend Anthony Braxton Light Up Bay Area Jazz Scene". KQED. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  11. "Who We Are". Tri-Centric Foundation. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  12. Peterson, Tyler. "Anthony Braxton to Premiere New Opera TRILLIUM J at Roulette, 4/17-19". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  13. "Anthony Braxton's Trillium J (The Non-Unconfessionables): Acts I & II". Roulette. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  14. "Braxton, il Sonic Genome incanta a Berlino". Il giornale della musica (in Italian). 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  15. Festspiele, Berliner. "Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome - Jazzfest Berlin". www.berlinerfestspiele.de. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  16. Festspiele, Berliner. "Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome - Jazzfest Berlin". www.berlinerfestspiele.de. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  17. "Cecil Taylor: November 1996". burning ambulance. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  18. "About". www.littleglobe.org. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  19. "United States Artists » Chris Jonas and Molly Sturges". Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  20. Pekar, Harvey (25 April 2019). "Chris Jonas". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  21. Meyer, Bill (2001-03-29). "Chris Jonas". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  22. "A Week of Horns: TILT SIXtet". ISSUE Project Room. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  23. "The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  24. "Chris Jonas | Animating Democracy". animatingdemocracy.org. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  25. "2012 Leaders in Arts and Culture – Rockwood Leadership Institute". Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  26. "United States Artists » Chris Jonas and Molly Sturges". Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  27. admin (2016-12-01). "The Crossing". The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  28. admin (2013-06-26). "The Crossing's The Gulf (between you and me) in the Philadelphia Inquirer". The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
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