Joy Guidry’s Amen + Deron Johnson’s Free to Dance
October 19, 2024 @ 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Doors at 8:00pm
8:30pm- Deron Johnson’s Free to Dance
Deron Johnson – piano & keys
Paul Bryan – bass
Max Jaffe – drums & electronics
Stewart Cole – trumpet & modular synth
9:45pm – Joy Guidry’s Amen
Joy Guidry – Bassoon, poetry, electronics
Scott Li – synth, electronics, violin
Mekala Sessions – Drums
“In AMEN, there is a lot of experimentation with different forms of southern Black American music. I wanted to lean heavily on my Texas, Louisiana, and Creole roots in this project.”
– Joy Guidry
“In my time with Miles Davis, the quality that was most impactful for me was the concept of always moving forward as a musician.”“
– Deron Johnson
Joy Guidry
Radical self-love, compassion, laughter, and the drive to amplify Black artmakers and noisemakers comprise the core of bassoonist and composer Joy Guidry’s work. Her performances have been hailed by The San Diego Tribune as “lyrical and haunting…hair-raising and unsettling.” Joy was born in 1995 in Houston, Texas, into a creative family that played a big part in who she has become today.
A versatile improviser and a composer of experimental, daring new works that embody a deep love of storytelling, Joy’s music channels their inner child in honor of her ancestors and predecessors. Joy holds a bachelor’s degree in Bassoon Performance from the Peabody Conservatory and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Mannes School of Music.
She has presented her original work at The Kitchen, Redcat, and has collaborated with the Dance Centre Kenya Ballet Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound. She has been commissioned by The National Sawdust, Long Beach Opera, JACK Quartet, and the I&I Foundation.
Joy has been featured at the La Biennale di Venezia, A’Larme Festival, Cologne Jazz Week, Spoleto Festival USA, and many more. In addition, Joy Guidry is the winner of the 2021 Berlin Prize for Young Artists.
https://www.guidrybassoon.com/
Deron Johnson
Deron Johnson is an award-winning pianist and composer with decades of success as a recording and touring artist. He is now scoring original compositions for film, television, and narrative podcasts.
In 1991, Johnson was discovered by legendary trumpeter Miles Davis. Johnson joined Davis’ band, playing keyboards on Davis’ final record, Doo-Bop (1992), as well as on three European tours and two American tours. A rising star in the jazz community, Johnson then toured and recorded extensively with bassist Stanley Clarke and alto saxophonist David Sanborn. He would go on to tour and record with artists across a broad range of sounds and styles, including Alanis Morissette and Seal.
Following a long and successful career as a touring and recording artist, Johnson was hired as Head of Music for TWC in 2013. There, he composed original music for films and trailers for award-winning projects, including Silver Linings Playbook (2012), Tulip Fever, August: Osage County (2013), and The Founder (2017).
In 2019, QCode Media, an emerging podcast and digital media company, hired Johnson as Head of Music. Since then, he has composed and recorded original scores for dozens of narrative fiction podcasts, including Hank The Cowdog (2020) starring Matthew McConaughey, Edith! (2021) starring Rosamund Pike, and The Prophecy (2022) starring Kerry Washington and Laurence Fishburne.
Johnson’s latest feature film score, The Prank (2022), is a dark comedy starring the legendary Rita Moreno.
