On Tuesday, Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. debuted their latest track, “Momento”, the experimental project’s third monthly single release via Color Red. The brainchild of drummer Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls, David Byrne), J.E.D.I. features a rotating cast of talented musicians from across the live music scene. Along with percussion by Johnston, “Momento” features Dominic Lalli (Big Gigantic) on sax, Borahm Lee (Break Science/Pretty Lights Live) on keys, Josh Fairman (SunSquabi) on bass.
“Momento” is a crossover track that blends the virtuosity of bebop with a drum n’ bass backbeat. This release from Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. on Color Red epitomizes every single aspect of the band’s acronymic name “Jazz Electronic Dance Improvised.” There’s the jazzy flavor reminiscent of Tony Williams in the Miles Davis fusion era. There’s a signature drum ’n’ bass tempo that will transport you to a London warehouse in the early 90s, and there’s plenty of improvisation—best highlighted by Dominic Lalli’s swelling saxophone solo. Above all, the track serves as a “momento,”—a sonic depiction of embracing the moment and a new keepsake that encompasses the past, present, and future in one.
As Aaron Johnston explains of the track, “‘Momento’ incorporates lots of hard work and lots of talent. It’s an upbeat track that you can party to—an amalgamation of some of my favorite genres.”
“Working with Borahm and Aaron was a great experience,” notes Josh Fairman, who serves as a Color Red partner and engineer in addition to his role in SunSquabi. “I had recorded the band with Garrett [Sayers] (The Motet) on bass for a few days, so I was excited to get to play with the boys. I ended up rocking a Moog Bass. Borahm had a catchy keyboard part and we just started jamming and it took a life of its own after that. By the time Aaron got done with post-production, it was on a new planet! Stoked to be collaborating with guys on this level who have set the stage for bands like SunSquabi.”
Adds Color Red founder and “Momento” co-producer Eddie Roberts, “We wanted to create some brand new sounds in this session, as the name suggests. Aaron came with some sketches built out of samples, and we recreated them whilst adding our own flavors to give it a live feel. We got a great vibe and workflow going over the three days.. that’s the beauty of the Color Red studio, plug in and play!”
You can listen to “Momento” by Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. below:
Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. – “Momento”
[Video: Color Red]
Music fans heading to New Orleans during Jazz Fest will get the chance to see a very special edition of Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. live at One Eyed Jacks on Friday, May 3rd at 2:00 a.m. (technically early-morning May 4th).
For this NOLA throwdown, Johnston has recruited bassist Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits), keyboardist Borahm Lee (Break Science/Pretty Lights Live), bassist Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), and DJ Logic as well as very special guests Michael Kang and Jason Hann of The String Cheese Incident. Head here for more details.
Tickets to J.E.D.I at One Eyed Jacks are on sale NOW at this link. For full show information, as well as poster art by artist Chris Bertetta, see below.
Date: Friday, May 3rd, 2019 (Technically early morning 5/4)
Show: J.E.D.I. (Jazz Electronic Dance Improvised) feat. Aaron Johnston (Brazilian Girls), Marc Brownstein (The Disco Biscuits), Nate Edgar (The Nth Power), Borahm Lee (Break Science / Pretty Lights Live), and DJ Logic with special guests Michael Kang and Jason Hann (The String Cheese Incident)
Venue: One Eyed Jacks – 615 Toulouse Street – New Orleans, LA
Doors: 1:30 AM / Show: 2:00am
TICKETS: $30 Advance / $35 Day Of Show