Since settling in San Francisco in 1997, Canada-born trumpeter Darren Johnston has built a web of alliances, from avant-garde excursions with the likes of the ROVA saxophone quartet and Myra Melford, to straight-ahead jazz outings with artists such as bassist/composer Marcus Shelby.  As a bandleader he first made his mark with the United Brassworkers Front, an infamous ensemble with a truly unique take on brass music that released two albums.   In ’07, Johnston released “Reasons for Moving,” which featured Fred Frith and Larry Ochs, and was released on the Not Two label.  A new live recording by this ensemble is slated for 2010.  In 2008 Johnston was labeled as one of twenty-five “trumpeters of the future” by Downbeat magazine.  His critically acclaimed quintet CD on the Clean Feed label recently won four stars by four different critics in that same magazine, which helped to place him in this years “Downbeat Critic’s Poll” for his trumpet playing.  This same recording, “The Edge of the Forest”, was listed as a “top ten of ‘09” recording by multiple critics, and given an honorable mention in the Village Voice’s listing of the same name, coming in at number 13.
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November & December, 2011

11/3 – Brass Menazeri (Balkan brass band) at El Valenciano, San Francisco. 9pm
11/6 – Graham Connah at The Jazzschool, Berkeley, 8:30pm
11/7 – Veejay Anderson Group at The Monday Makeout, The Makeout Room, San Francisco, 9pm
11/10 - Darren Johnston Quintet – CD RELEASE SHOW FOR THE BIG LIFT – at The Red Poppy Art House, San Francisco, 8pm
11/19 – Sheldon Brown Group – The Music of Herbie Nichols, at the Hillside Club, Berkelely, 8pm
11/20 - The Nice Guy Trio – at Viracocha, San Francisco, 8pm
12/1 – Brass Menazeri at El Valenciano, San Francisco, 9pm
12/2 – The Nice Guy Trio + Strings, Sidewalks and Alleys/Waking Music CD release concert – at the Community Music Center, SF, 8pm
12/15 – Darren Johnston Quartet, with Dave Rempis, Tim Daisy, Josh Abrams, at Elastic, Chicago, 10pm
12/18 – Darren Johnston’s “Gone to Chicago”, CD RELEASE SHOW FOR THE BIG LIFT -  at the Hungry Brain, Chicago, 10pm
12/19 – Darren Johnston Quartet, with Jeff Parker, Frank Rosaly, Josh Abrams, at Skylark, Chicago, 10pm