“Johnston explores the limits of his instrument with a hankering for originality…running away and never looking back.”
– San Francisco Bay Guardian,
“Pick of the Week”
With an affinity for music that defies easy categorization, Canada-born, Bay Area-based trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston works within jazz, purely improvised music, music of the Balkans, Jamaica (as a regular member of Groundation), contemporary classical, and more.
He has worked with a broad and diverse collection of artists such as ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Marshal Allen, Ches Smith, Dayna Stephens, Marcus Shelby, Carmen Staaf, Michael Formanek, Larry Ochs, Anais Mitchell, Michael Attias, Dave Rempis, Slavic Soul Party!, Myra Melford, Fred Frith, Allison Miller, Geof Bradfield, Anna Webber, Jon Irabagon, Pete Escovedo, Buddy Miles, SF Sound Ensemble, Hamid Drake, and many more.
Photo by Julie Caine
Upcoming Shows
Friday July 10, 7pm
Friday July 10, 9p
The Marcus Shelby Sextet
Conversation: The Language of Charles Mingus”
Marcus Shelby - Bass
Darren Johnston - Trumpet
Tony Peebles - Alto Sax
Danny Lubin-Laden - Trombone
Greg Jacobs - Piano
Jemal Ramirez - Drums
$40
Keys Jazz Bistro, 498 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133
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Sunday, July 12, 7:30pm
The Marcus Shelby Sextet
Conversation, The Music Of Charles Mingus
Marcus Shelby - Bass
Darren Johnston - Trumpet
Tony Peebles - Alto Sax
Danny Lubin-Laden - Trombone
Greg Jacobs - Piano
Jemal Ramirez - Drums
SJW Members: $54 | Child & Student $12
Non-members: $62 | Child & Student $20
Stanford University, Campbell Recital Hall, Braun Music Center, 541 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA 94305
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Thursday, July 16, 8pm
Larry Ochs offers up a deeply felt set of improvised music, created by this stellar ensemble of San Francisco Bay Area improvisers... and we invite you, the creative listeners, to dig in to our spontaneous but thoughtfully sculpted music as it happens, in real time, in the super comfortable, acoustically special Back Room setting.
Conceptually, Subconscious Life might be said to be administratively led by Larry Ochs, who also might add carefully placed comments before and after sessions. The music itself, however, develops collectively as the four performers listen, respond and focus on the collective musical elements, each player reacting (I believe) from his or her own composerly perspective. As some of you will hear: "Form" is definitely part of the creative process in this band. As a result, each piece "magically" ends up with a formal shape and its own distinct character. In other words: there's a sign outside the entrance to the Studio that reads EARS WORKING...
Larry Ochs - tenor and sopranino saxophones
Ben Davis - cello
Darren Johnston - trumpet
Lisa Mezzacappa - bass
$22.50
The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
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Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, 10am-4pm
Educational Workshop
Weekend Trumpet Intensive At The Jazzschool
The Jazzschool’s Weekend Trumpet Intensive is a two-day program for dedicated trumpet players looking to deepen their skills, expand their musical perspective, and spend a weekend immersed in music with other serious players. Taking place Saturday and Sunday, July 18–19, from 10 am – 4 pm each day, the intensive is open to adult players and mature teens with prior experience on the instrument. Committed hobbyists, aspiring professionals, and working musicians are all welcome.
Over the course of the weekend, participants will work closely with an outstanding faculty representing a wide range of musical backgrounds and stylistic approaches: Henry Hung, Geechi Taylor, Joel Behrman, and Darren Johnston.
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Thursday, July 23, 8:30pm
The Stone Residencies: Larry Ochs
Spectral
Larry Ochs - tenor/sopranino sax
Dave Rempis - alto/baritone sax
Darren Johnston - trumpet
The Stone, 55 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011
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August in Europe
After NYC, I'll be back in Europe playing jazz-infused reggae with Groundation.
We also have a new recording out on Baco Records. It's a triple vinyl release of our entire set at La Cigal in Paris last summer!
You can watch the video of that concert here:
Join Darren's mailing list to stay updated on upcoming shows and releases.
For bookings or private lessons, please contact Darren at darrenjohnston5000@gmail.com