Words by David C. Obenour
Working with the likes of Makaya McCraven and Jeff Parker, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Broken Bells, Josh Johnson has amassed a resume built off stacks and stacks of impressive liner notes. Listening to the control he balances and holds over his principal instrument of saxophone, it makes sense too. His tone is full of expression and range without ever seeming to break a sweat. For his second featured album, Unusual Object (Northern Spy), Johnson weaves the saxophone between his own samples and performances, exploring inspirations, getting lost in them, but always finding his way back.
Off Shelf: Can you talk about the album title, Unusual Object? How do you feel it relates to the music?
Josh Johnson: It’s intentionally open-ended but it speaks both the space this music occupies and the way I feel about myself, in and out of music. It speaks to the combination of seemingly disparate sounds coming together to speak.
OS: Going into the studio, did you have all of the songs fully formed and structured? Or was there still room for improvisation at that point?
JJ: A mix of both. Many of the songs were fully baked by the time I went in to record with Paul Bryan, but some of the forms changed while in the studio. Many of these are live performance takes. There’s improvisation in all of the pieces, and almost all of them started from improvisations. Reddish and Who Happens If are both improvisations on a simple melodic idea and a feeling. Each take was a different experience.
OS: How does that structure translate into live performances for these songs?
JJ: There’s even more improvisation in my live performances. I’m able to play with the forms, extending or truncating sections depending on how I feel and the feeling in the room. I also improvise on top of them. There are landmarks but how I move between songs is open and changes from performance to performance.
OS: Watching you perform with The New Breed I was struck with how “playing” really felt like the right word for how you all performed together. There seemed to be this element of really reveling in each other’s talents, keeping up and throwing things out for each other. Can you find a similar joy in performing alone? How is it similar or different?
JJ: It’s a different experience, no doubt, but it’s been important for me to find ways to make playing solo playful. You don’t have the energy of other musicians to bounce off of, but you do have the energy of an audience and a space. Sonically, you get to paint with more colors — you can explore a wider palette of sound and play with the space. I get to be involved in the music at a foundational level, not just as a soloist.
Part of the joy of playing solo for me is getting lost or chasing an idea, and then finding a way back. I’m interested in the play of intuition, deep feeling, and intellect in real-time. Starting with improvisation and finding a way to connect the next thing, organically, is what keeps it feeling fresh and like “play.” It needs to feel like it’s breathing and dancing.
OS: Can you talk about the creative process when you are recording on your own? What comes easier and what can be more challenging?
JJ: The creative process varies for each piece. I know some folks have a consistent process, but I need to hop around. Some start from on piano, some from saxophone, but almost all start from recording myself improvising. Everything springs from a curiosity. I find something that makes me feel something deeply and then I’ll start thinking about development and structure. There’s so much trial and experimentation. Things often expand with many additions and new ideas, but then the majority of those additions get cut back and focused. There’s a directness I enjoy — you can document an idea immediately, but knowing when something is done can be more challenging when working by myself. Endless choice isn’t always a blessing!
All of the music started at home, some of it being fully recorded in my studio, but most was recorded by Paul Bryan at his studio. He produced the record with me and he was essential to the framing of this music. It was so important for me to have the outside perspective of a trusted collaborator.
OS: Do you think you learned anything new about yourself or your playing from this recording session?
JJ: I’m learning to trust my intuition and not over-intellectualize my creative process. Pivoting and returning to ideas with a fresh perspective is important to my process, I’m learning. I need many different access points to creativity. I’m learning to be more aware of where I’m introducing judgment into the creative process — too early and I’ll get in my own way.
OS: You described the album as a development and documentation of a more personal world of sound. What development do you hear when listening back to these songs? How does it progress from your previous work?
JJ: I hear an expanding, more colorful, and vivid palette both sonically and emotionally. I hear ideas I’ve been living with for a long time coming together to sing. I hear more risk-taking and bolder ideas.
OS: Futuristic and modern are words that often describe music that combines elements of jazz and electronica. Helpful in establishing a shared point of reference, do you feel these are good descriptors for the music you play?
JJ: I’m not sure what those words mean in relation to music at this point. There’s certainly new technology to understand and attempt to make expressive, but I hear this music as being connected to things, feelings, and practices that are very very old.
OS: What inspires you about the combination of sounds? Blending a live instrument with electronic samples?
JJ: It seems counterintuitive but sometimes you can get to things that feel and sound organic — not a saxophone — but a drum, or a balafon, or the feeling of a choir singing in harmony, slightly out of tune and not fully together. I’m curious about finding different doorways to expression and I’m interested in exploring sonic “gray” areas. Each stop on a color gradient has a different feeling.
OS: You have so many incredible sounds and samples weaved throughout the album. Are there any particular that you can pull out and talk more about? Where they were sourced and what you thought they added to the composition?
JJ: Many of the samples are me playing different instruments in my studio. I’m controlling a sampler with my saxophone on Marvis, but the samples are of me playing guitar, rhodes, and synth bass from a recording of a radically different version of Marvis. “Playing” the rhythm section with a saxophone while also playing a melody has a different feeling than a more traditional multitracked performance.