As an artist, Jon Arkin does not fall neatly into one tidy category, genre, or medium, yet his work can always be relied upon to exhibit certain qualities: uniqueness, balance, and inspiration. He is known & sought-after as a drummer, composer, and digital media wrangler.
Arkin’s latest projects incorporate his self-designed hybrid electro-acoustic setup, which blends a vast palate of digital textures with organic sound. Drawing upon his extensive background as a tinkerer, hacker, and an aficionado of all styles of music, his work brings a multitude of elements together within the contexts of traditional composition, spontaneous composition, and algorithmic indeterminacy. He can be seen & heard using this setup with the Schimscheimer Family Trio (with saxophonist Kasey Knudsen and keyboardist Michael Coleman), with clarinetist Ben Goldberg (as a duo, and in other Goldberg projects), as a solo performer, and in collaboration with various other artists.
In addition to leading his own groups, he has performed around the U.S. and internationally with jazz greats such as Lee Konitz, Gene Perla, and Ira Sullivan, with singer-songwriters including Vusi Mahlasela, Stew, and Meklit Hadero, Afrobeat bands Albino and Soji Odukogbe, folk musicians Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and John Doe, a multitude of experimental/new music collaborators including Nathan Clevenger, Jordan Glenn, Cuong Vu, and MoeTar, as well as countless other musicians. Spanning three decades, his list of recording credits includes dozens of albums and guest appearances in a wide variety of genres, as he maintains an active recording schedule as a studio musician.
Select Discography:
(click on cover links for album/artist information)
