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Jonathan Suazo

Jonathan Suazo is a Puerto Rican Saxophonist / Composer / Flow Artist. His music is influenced by artists like Kenny Garrett, David Sánchez, Miguel Zenón, John Coltrane and many more. Jonathan's new Ricano project highlights traditional rhythms from his Puerto Rican / Dominican roots and ancestry within a Cross-Cultural Fusion container of his many musical influences. 

He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz & Caribbean Music at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, and his Masters Degree in Contemporary Performance at Berklee College of Music (Global Jazz Institute). He's been named one of the Top Ten Emerging Jazz Artists of 2023 by The Recording Academy. He’s a 2023 Winter South Arts Jazz Road Artist, a 2023 New Music USA Creator Fund Recipient, and has been taught by renowned musicians like: David Sanchez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Marco Pignataro, John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, George Garzone and Joe Lovano.

Jonathan has also performed in venues such as Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Martinique Jazz Fest, Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest, SF JAZZ, Groton Hill Music Center, Elephant Room Austin TX, SXSW 2023, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The MFA Boston, and many more. He's collaborated with artists such as: Paoli Mejías, ILé, Miguel Zenón, Emil "El Hijo de Borikén" Martínez, David Sánchez, Kevin Harris, Rakalam Bob Moses, Giovanni Hidalgo, Christian Nieves, Ricky Rodriguez, Tito Matos, Ricardo Pons, Calma Carmona, William Cepeda, Jon Secada, Pedro Capó, Obie Bermudez, Hans Glawischnig, Humberto Ramirez, Silverio Perez, Tony Escapa, Charlie Sepúlveda and many others.

Jonathan is also co-leader of the free improv/experimental group, the No Base Trio.

 

Source: Jonathan Suazo

Awards

-Full Tuition Scholarship to Berklee Global Jazz Institute Masters Program 2016 -Berklee Urban Service Award (2018)- For using arts to support Humanitarianism -Grammy Award (Sideman 2016) - For work on Ilevitable by Ileana Cabra -FNCP Top 10 indie albums from Puerto Rico (2013) - JS Self produced Album "Extracts of a Desire" -FNCP Top 10 indie albums from Puerto Rico (2014) - JS Self produced Album "Vital"


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Radio & Podcasts

Jonathan Suazo, Carlos Niño, Wayne Horvitz, André 3000 & More

Read "Jonathan Suazo, Carlos Niño, Wayne Horvitz, André 3000 & More" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


We open this week's edition with a few projects that represent the essence of the world fusion that is taking place in these modern times, and we close it with a few projects that gravitate around that music catalyst that Carlos Niño is. In between, projects that will let your fantasy fly.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Matthieu Saglio “Temps moderns" Voices (ACT) 0:16 Host talks 5:30 Jonathan ...

68
Album Review

No Base Trio: NBT II

Read "NBT II" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


On their often pulse-quickening, wholly improvised double disc, NBT II, the intrepid No Base Trio—alto saxophonist Jonathan Suazo, guitarist Gabriel Vicéns and drummer Leonardo Osuna— draw on their own inner tensions and tenacity for a roiling and immersive exploration of jazz's more open-ended, less categorized, freer regions. Picking up where 2020's cascading debut No Base Trio (Setola di Maiale) left off, NBT instigate and inhabit the shadowlands. Snatches of their native Puerto Rican folk dance roll like cumulus ...

74
Album Review

Jonathan Suazo / Gabriel Vicens / Leonardo Osuna: No Base Trio

Read "No Base Trio" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


There's an eery sumptuousness to the gravity-free, genre-less sound of No Base Trio that makes it incredibly difficult to get on with the day. The slant and tilt of modular sonic eruptions grab immediate attention. Its cascading, formless ambience affords strange new spaces to inhabit, explore, and contemplate during lockdown. Hailing from Puerto Rico, this debut recording features the imaginative, often volatile union of guitarist Gabriel Vicéns, alto saxophonist Jonathan Suazo and drummer Leonardo Osuna threading the free ...

8
Album Review

Joan Torres's All Is Fused: Revolution

Read "Revolution" reviewed by Paul Naser


Amidst the chaos that is the year 2020, Joan Torres's All Is Fused has found the time to release an alt take of the closer from their 2019 album, Revolution (Self Produced). The new version of “Finale" is a collaboration with bass virtuoso Bubby Lewis. Of the collaboration, Torres says: “I wanted someone who was a bit of a kindred spirit in this musical journey but with a considerably different style. The stars then lined up somehow because Bubby Lewis....was ...

8
Album Review

Joan Torres's All Is Fused: Revolution

Read "Revolution" reviewed by Paul Naser


Since the band's last record, Of The Musical (Self Produced, 2016), Joan Torres' All Is Fused has taken time to dig deeper into its influences and expand its sound. This year All Is Fused returns with an evolved vibe that finds it delving deep into fusion and Latin with a slight nod to the avant-garde and Thundercat among other styles. The result is Revolution.The album begins with the on-topic, high intensity “Rebellion." Torres, who serves as the project's ...

11
Album Review

Gabriel Vicéns: Coming Back

Read "Coming Back" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


The rules for releasing music have been in flux for some time, and the digital single has made its way from pop music to jazz. Puerto Rican jazz guitarist/composer Gabriel Vicéns (now a New York City resident) presents an unreleased track from the recording sessions for his second album Days (Inner Circle Music, 2015). The guitarist found the rough mix of this song by accident and since he still related to the track he arranged for it to be mixed ...

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Album Review

Gabriel Vicéns: Days

Read "Days" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero


Non ancora trentenne il chitarrista portoricano Gabriel Vicéns dimostra di sapersi muovere disinvoltamente nel mare magnum del modern mainstrem, con piglio autorevole nella conduzione musicale, con studiata scaltrezza nel variare mood e atmosfere, con intelligenza nell'assicurarsi i servigi di due vecchie volpi come il sassofonista David Sanchez e il trombettista Alex Sipiagin anche co-produttore del disco, pubblicato dalla etichetta discografica di Greg Osby. Il clima generale della registrazione non può non risentire della provenienza geografica del nostro, che ha tuttavia ...

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“I remember being fascinated by his resilience, his drive and desire to discover”. “Never afraid of going through the unknown, his fresh

energy with beautiful ideas and the understanding of his roots, are probably

some of his most special virtues”.

-David Sánchez 

Renown Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist / Composer / Educator

 “El saxofonista y compositor Jonathan Suazo es sin duda uno de los músicos Puertorriqueños mas importantes de su generación. Su capacidad como interprete e improvisador es igualada por su creatividad y conceptualismo, y continua buscando nuevos retos como artista así como nuevas experiencias para su publico. Altamente recomendado”.

Read more

Joe Lovano
saxophone
David Sanchez
saxophone, tenor
Kenny Garrett
saxophone, alto
Lee Konitz
saxophone, alto
Paoli Mejias
percussion
Viento De Agua
band / ensemble / orchestra
Jon Hopkins
keyboards

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ricano

Ropeadope
2023

buy

NBT II

Setola di Maiale
2022

buy

No Base Trio

Setola di Maiale
2020

buy

Revolution

Self Produced
2019

buy

Coming Back

Outside in Music
2019

buy

The World In My View (feat. David Sánchez)

From: Point in Time
By Jonathan Suazo

Videos

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