Josh Johnson unveils his new single promoting his debut LP Freedom Exercise

Josh Johnson unveils his new singles “Western Ave” and “Nerf Day”, promoting his debut LP “Freedom Exercise” on Northern Spy Records. Josh is a saxophonist, keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He has performed extensively with the likes of Jeff Parker, Makaya McCraven, Kiefer, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Marquis Hill, and Leon Bridges.

Johnson can be heard on such amazing records Makaya McCraven “Universal Beings” and “Universal Beings E&F Sides”, Chicago Underground Quartet “Good Days”, Jeff Parker “Suite for Max Brown” and “The New Breed”, Joshua Crumbly “Rise”, Jeremy Cunningham “The Weather Up There”, Marquis Hill “Love Tape” and “Modern Flows Vol 2”, Nate Mercerau “Joy Techniques” and Mark de Clive-Lowe “Heritage” and “Heritage II”. His upcoming glorious debut album we can easily fit on the same shelf as all the mentioned above records.

“Freedom Exercise” is a collection of songs tied to that same idea of genreless exploration — jazz, post-rock and electronic music are certainly all inspirations, but none reigns exclusively. The stripped-down album is built on layers of distinct melodies occasionally softened by distortion, delay and reverb

Watch below a video to Josh Johnson songs “Western Ave” and “Nerf Day”, the singles from his forthcoming debut album “Freedom Exercise”:

Since 2018, Johnson has been the musical director, keyboardist, and saxophonist for Leon Bridges, which has taken him to Europe, Asia and Australia. Later he joined his friend from Chicago and frequent collaborator, guitarist Jeff Parker in his residency at a bar called ETA in Highland Park, an epicenter of L.A. improvised music scene.

“A lot of people I’ve connected with here have opened me up to a lot of things I hadn’t imagined. It brings in a lot of people who don’t go to jazz clubs. It’s a thing that’s been very stimulating for me because it doesn’t feel insular. It’s helped me be a better listener in improvised settings. Not just playing to play, but really thinking about why, and what something is for”, Josh said about this experience.

As a composer, Johnson has written music for many of his own projects, including the bands Snaarj and Holophonor, in addition to writing music for commercial use. He recently contributed arrangements to Sara Gazarek’s album “Thirsty Ghost”, which was nominated for two Grammy awards.

Listen below Josh Johnson songs “Western Ave” and “Nerf Day”, the singles from his forthcoming debut album “Freedom Exercise”: