Music Projects

Chris Jonas' remarkable composed suites [are] subtle breakthroughs and fantastic journeys 
- Ann Powers, New York Times

In the midst of well-deserved critical acclaim...
One of the premiere stylists on his instrument.
- Derek Taylor, (musings)

Chris Jonas’ musical projects have long explored many different realms and traditions. In addition to his current long-term composition and music/intermedia projects GARDEN and IN SITU, he has composed for and conducted operas, written soundtracks, led a wide range of bands, been a collaborator with internationally recognized jazz performers (discography) and received commissions from a variety of chamber ensembles. Below is a list of some of these projects.

Rrake (Santa Fe)
The music of Rrake is a consequence of mixing composition, conduction and improvisation via the superimposition of long complex melodic lines atop at least two layers of conflicting asymmetrical block rhythms. Drawing from a diverse set of musical sources (including Stravinsky, Captain Beefheart, Anthony Braxton, Pigmy music from Central African Republic, Gyorgy Ligeti, Jesus Lizard, and the rhythmic polyphony of non musical sources such as trash trucks, building sites, automobile factories and commercial aircraft) Rrake engages an aesthetic of combined visceral jarring trance rhythmic unison, complex ambiance, and non-resolvable linear melodic structures.

Rrake personnel: Chris Jonas (compositions, tenor and soprano sax), Joe Fiedler (trombone), Chris Olness or Chris Washburne (bass trombone), Jeremy Bleich (electric bass), Paul Brown (acoustic bass), Milton Villarrubia III (drums) and Peter Breslin (drums).

 

Sun Spits Cherries (New York)
A deeply nuanced world -- Jonas crafts a richly expansive sound that stresses subtle timbral shadings and tersely composed phrases punctuated by sudden bursts of flavorful improvisation... Distinctive, accessible, simple and achingly beautiful
- Michael Kremer, Jazziz

Started in NYC in 1997, Sun Spits Cherries consists of Chris Jonas (soprano saxophone), Joe Fiedler (trombone), Chris Olness (bass trombone), and Milton Villarrubia III (percussion). Neither pure improvisation, nor entirely composed, these pieces braid written music, cues and conducting techniques to layer and juxtapose different subtle and startling notions of space, color, timbre and interaction. 

 

BING (Santa Fe)
Something of an orchestrated collision between a Serbian wedding, a French Quarter dirge for the death of pop culture and an all-American torch ballad swollen with loss and possibility.
- Julia Goldberg, Santa Fe Reporter

Consistently voted in the Santa Fe Reporter as one of Santa Fe's favorite bands, BING was co-founded by Molly Sturges (vocals and accordion) and Chris Jonas (saxophones) in 2002. Grounded in improvisational structures, the sextet BING creates music that is a confluence of sounds that pays homage to many global traditions and compositional ideas including Ethiopian and Indonesian pop, instrumental jazz and Cuban Son. BING created the live music for Circus Luminous (2003-2006) and has performed numerous original live soundtracks for silent films.

 

Santa Fe Opera Commissioned Works
Since 2004, Jonas has received numerous commissions for works for the Santa Fe Opera, including two stage operas “Palimpsest” (2007 with director, Acushla Bastible) and “Memorylines” (2007 with Littleglobe, Molly Sturges and others). He has also collaborated with kids to create and perform numerous operas in the Student Produced Operas Program of the SF Opera, working with kids in many different New Mexican communities including Roswell, Tierra Amarilla, Chama, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and others.
www.santafeopera.org

Jonas and Tilt Brass Ensemble NYC
Since 2008 Jonas has started a compositional relationship with the NYC based brass and percussion ensemble Tilt. He'll be creating works for Tilt in 09-10.
New York-based TILT Brass is a collective of creative brass and percussion artists that has presented concerts throughout the city since 2003. The group's repertoire features over a dozen works custom designed for its two projects, the 10-piece Creative Brass Band and 6-piece SIXtet.

TRUMPET: Dave Ballou, CJ Camerieri, Shane Endsley, Peter Evans, Laurie Frink, Taylor Haskins, Russ Johnson, Brian McWhorter, Jon Nelson, Charlie Porter, Herb Robertson, Matt Shulman, Nate Wooley
FRENCH HORN: John Clark, Ann Ellsworth, Greg Evans, Justine Flynn, Mark Taylor, Tom Varner
TROMBONE: Joe Fiedler, Curtis Hasselbring, Ben Herrington, Dana Leong, Richard Marriott, Christopher McIntyre, Steve Swell
BASS TROMBONE: Mike Boschen, Jacob Garchik, Julie Kalu
TUBA: John Altieri, Andrew Bove, Ron Caswell, Joe Exely, Dave Hofstra, Marcus Rojas
PERCUSSION: Kevin Norton, Chris Nappi, Mick Rossi, Ryan Sawyer
www.tiltbrass.org

 

Soundtracks
Over the years, Jonas has written soundtracks for a wide variety of projects including installations, dramatic film, live music and silent film, video projections, and documentaries. Highlighted recent soundtracks include:

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