LUCIEN JOHNSON RELEASES
LATEST SINGLE ‘BLUE RAIN’
FROM ALBUM ‘WAX///WANE’
SINGLE OUT NOW
Globally renowned jazz composer/ saxophonist Lucien Johnson releases his latest single ‘Blue Rain’ via brand new record label, Deluge Records. It’s the second single off the upcoming album Wax///Wane, which is made up of six compositions about the moon and other wonders. The album is being released on limited edition vinyl (300 copies) plus digitally and is due out March 30th.
A distinguished artist with a long list of accomplishments, the sound of his saxophone has featured on albums by The Black Seeds, Hollie Smith, The Phoenix Foundation and The Yoots.
Wax///Wane is the first digital release for Lucien Johnson under his own name, and the album features an intriguing ensemble; John Bell on vibraphone, Michelle Velvin on harp, Tom Callwood on double bass, Cory Champion on drums and Riki Piripi on percussion – all combining to create immersive landscapes and smouldering grooves. Johnson’s saxophone, described by Jazz in Paris as “lyrical as Coltrane, as powerful as Rollins”, soars above the ensemble, bringing mystique and aura to these unique pieces, themselves an expert study in light and shade.
Lucien Johnson below
From Pukerua Bay, New Zealand, Lucien Johnson has forged a reputation of being a formidable composer and multi-instrumentalist, with a crossover audience for jazz & classical music through to electronic & experimental. He has performed with a long list of luminaries from jazz and improvised music, such as Mulatu Astatke, Barre Phillips, Marilyn Crispell, John Betsch, Steve Potts, Jobic Le Masson and Lol Coxhill. Prior to signing with Deluge Records, he released music through the influential Japanese label ‘Wonderful Noise’, with album ‘West of the Sun’ being a finalist for NZ Jazz album of the year in 2017.
Lucien Johnson below
He was also musical director of Shogun Orchestra, which released two albums on German label Jakarta Records. In Paris in the 2000s, he performed in a free improvising trio with Alan Silva and Makoto Sato, releasing an album on French label Improvised Beings. Other notable accomplishments include winning Sound Designer of the Year and a nomination for Outstanding Composer at the 2017 Wellington Theatre Awards, winning the Susan Rhind Award for Composition ‘Addis Nocturnes’ on solo piano in Paris 2017, composing for New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Dance Company, and the inclusion of his performance of his work titled ‘Strasbourg 1518’ at New Zealand Festival 2020 and the upcoming Auckland Arts Festival 2021.
“A composer and arranger of supreme skill” – Dominion Post
“a unique musical vision” – Sea of Tranquility
“A miraculous musician with a terrific creative imagination” – Radio NZ
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