Darren Johnston

Since settling in San Francisco in 1997, Canada-born trumpeter Darren Johnston has built a web of alliances, from avant-garde excursions with the likes of the ROVA saxophone quartet and Myra Melford, to straight-ahead jazz outings with artists such as bassist/composer Marcus Shelby. As a bandleader he first made his mark with the United Brassworkers Front, an infamous ensemble with a truly unique take on brass music that released two albums. In ’07, Johnston released “Reasons for Moving,” which featured Fred Frith and Larry Ochs, and was released on the Not Two label. A new live recording by this ensemble is slated for 2010. In 2008 Johnston was labeled as one of twenty-five “trumpeters of the future” by Downbeat magazine. His critically acclaimed quintet CD on the Clean Feed label recently won four stars by four different critics in that same magazine, which helped to place him in this years “Downbeat Critic’s Poll” for his trumpet playing. This same recording, “The Edge of the Forest”, was listed as a “top ten of ‘09” recording by multiple critics, and given an honorable mention in the Village Voice’s listing of the same name, coming in at number 13.
Currently, Darren’s focus is on his award winning “Nice Guy Trio”, with a new CD out on Porto Franco Records, which features Rob Reich on accordion, and Daniel Fabricant on bass, with an eclectic cast of guest musicians who blend together miraculously on seemingly disparate instruments such as pedal steel, strings, and Indian tablas. He is also an active member of Cylinder, a collective avant-jazz quartet co-led with alto saxophonist Aram Shelton, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and Swedish drummer/vibraphonist Kjell Nordessen, the 15 member large composers collective The Oakland Active Orchestra, the Marcus ShelbyJazz Orchestra, Bay Area Jazz Composers Big Band, and the Brass Menazeri Balkan brass band.