Josh Johnson

Josh Johnson is a saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer. His unique presence and tone are immediately recognizable, and paired with his superlative musicianship, have made him a sought-after collaborator. Johnson regularly performs and records with some of contemporary music’s most innovative artists, including Jeff Parker, Makaya McCraven, Meshell Ndegeocello, Brandee Younger, and Joel Ross.

Animative, Johnson’s third solo album, out October 23, 2026 on International Anthem/Nonesuch, is a marvel of electro-acoustic innovation that combines compositional brilliance and technological ambition into a mesmerizing blend of skeletal soul-jazz, post-bop, electronic minimalism, and dreamy ambience. The ten track album, co-produced by Johnson and Paul Bryan, features contributions from Meshell Ndegeocello, Macie Stewart, Marquis Hill, Ben Lumsdaine, and more. His previous two albums, 2020’s Freedom Exercise and 2024’s Unusual Object, both released on Northern Spy, were widely praised as “excellent, daringly melodic” (Pitchfork), Rolling Stone’s Best Music of 2020, and for “exciting, previously unheard combinations of sound.” (Popmatters)

Johnson is a member of the innovative quintet SML, whose 2024 debut album, Small Medium Large, (International Anthem) was released to wide acclaim and a Billboard cameo on the Contemporary Jazz charts. Their 2025 album, How You Been (International Anthem) landed on numerous best of the year lists and caught the attention of the New York Times, who published an in-depth feature on the band. 2026’s Spontaneous Music Live (International Anthem), an album of unedited sidelong improvisations, offered a glimpse into the psychedelic realism and linear, hypnotic expansion of SML’s live sound. The album earned Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Album’ and Paste declared, “On Spontaneous Music Live, SML stakes its claim as one of America's best bands.”

As a longstanding member of Jeff Parker’s lauded ETA IVtet, Johnson has performed on 2022’s Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy (Eremite Records) and 2024’s The Way Out of Easy (International Anthem/Nonesuch) – both garnered Pitchfork’s ‘Best New Music’ accolade (the latter of which debuted on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz charts). In 2026 Jeff Parker ETA IVtet released the album and concert film, Happy Today (International Anthem/Nonesuch) further cementing the quartet’s reputation as one of the most masterful groups working today. Johnson has previously made notable contributions to Parker’s catalog including 2016’s The New Breed and 2020’s Suite for Max Brown.

Johnson’s other most recent recording projects include a pair of trio albums, both released in 2025. Openness Trio (Blue Note), with guitarist and producer Nate Mercereau and percussionist Carlos Niño and Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes (International Anthem), with guitarist and IAP/SML colleague Gregory Uhlmann and LA jazz fixture, bassist Sam Wilkes.

Johnson is quickly gaining notoriety as an in-demand record producer. Recently, Johnson produced and performed on Flea's debut solo album, Honora (Nonesuch). Johnson produced and appears on Meshell Ndegeocello’s album, The Omnichord Real Book (Blue Note), which was awarded the 2024 Grammy for Best Alternative Jazz Album.

Between 2018 and 2022, Johnson held the role of Musical Director for soul singer Leon Bridges, with whom he also played keyboards and saxophone. During his time with Bridges, Johnson performed throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, with performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Glastonbury and the Sydney Opera House. Along with Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes), Johnson arranged 14 of Bridges’ songs for a performance with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, also contributing a choral arrangement and directing the concert.

His distinctive sound can be heard on wide-ranging recordings by artists such as Harry Styles, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Moonchild, Keifer, Broken Bells, Miley Cyrus, and Louis Cole among many others. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

Animative

Releases October 23, 2026
on International Anthem / Nonesuch

Produced by Josh Johnson and Paul Bryan

Featuring:
Meshell Ndegeocello
Macie Stewart
Marquis Hill
Ben Lumsdaine

Cover Photo by Anna Powell Denton
Design & Layout by Aaron Lowell Denton

Unusual Object

Released April 5, 2024
on Northern Spy Records

Produced by Josh Johnson and Paul Bryan

All sounds by Josh Johnson
except “Quince”
which contains drum synth
by Aaron Steele

Photos by Robbie Jeffers
Design and Layout by Bucky Boudreau

Freedom Exercise

Released October 9, 2020
on Northern Spy Records

Produced by Josh Johnson and Paul Bryan

Featuring:
Gregory Uhlmann
Anna Butterss
Aaron Steele

Photo by Robbie Jeffers
Designed by David Lee

TOUR

Josh Johnson

Animative 2026
producer, composer, saxophone, synthesizer, sampler, piano, rhodes, percussion, bass clarinet, guitar, drum synthesizer
Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

Happy Today 2026
saxophone and effects, composer
Flea

Honora 2026
producer, saxophones, piano, synthesizer, voice
aja monet

The Color Of Rain 2026
wurlitzer, saxophone and effects, composer
Gregory Uhlmann

Extra Stars 2026
saxophone and effects
Matthew Stevens

Matthew Stevens 2026
co-producer, saxophone and effects
SML

How You Been 2025
saxophone and effect, composer, mixer
Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, Sam Wilkes

Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes 2025
saxophone and electronics, composer, arranger
Nate Smith

Live-Action 2025
saxophone and effects
Hand Habits

Blue Reminder 2025
alto saxophone and effects
Miley Cyrus

Something Beautiful 2025
alto saxophone
Makaya McCraven

Off The Record 2025
saxophone and effects, composer
Openness Trio

Openness Trio 2025
alto saxophone, sampler, effects
Brandee Younger

Gadabout Season 2025
saxophone and effects, composer
Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer

Different Rooms 2025
saxophone and electronics
Valerie June

Owls, Omens, and Oracles 2025
saxophone
Adam Levy

Household 2025
wurlitzer, synthesizer, saxophone and effects
Funny Weather/Little Dragon

Funny Weather 2025
saxophone and effects
Josh Johnson

Unusual Object 2024
producer, composer, all sounds
Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

The Way Out of Easy 2024
alto saxophone, effects, sampler
Anna Butterss

Might Vertebrate 2024
saxophone and effects
SML

Small Medium Large 2024
saxophone and electronics
Marquis Hill

Composers Collective: Beyond The JukeBox 2024
alto saxophone and effects
Meshell Ndegeocello

No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin 2024
composer, saxophone and electronics
Chris Cohen

Paint A Room 2024
arranger, saxophones, flute, bass clarinet
Paul Bryan

Western Electric 2024
alto saxophone, electronics, electric piano
Bright Eyes

Five Dices, All Threes 2024
saxophones
Church Chords

elvis, he was Schlager 2024
saxophone and effects
Dave Mackay

The Looking Chamber 2024
saxophone and electronics
Turn On The Sunlight

Ocean Garden 2024
saxophone and electronics
Meshell Ndegeocello

The Omnichord Real Book 2023
producer, saxophone & effects, vocals
Tobi

Panic 2023
composer, saxophones & effects, flute
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1 2023
alto saxophone, flute
Gregory Uhlmann

Again and Again 2023
alto saxophone & effects, keyboards, bass clarinet, flute
King Tuff

Smalltown Stardust 2023
piano
Carlos Niño

I'm Just Chillin' On Fire 2023
saxophone & effects
Miley Cyrus

Endless Summer Vacation 2023
alto saxophone
Jeff Parker ETA IVtet

Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy 2022
alto saxophone & pedals
Nate Mercereau

Sundays Expansion 2022
alto saxophone & effects, sampler,
Broken Bells

Into The Blue 2022
baritone saxophone
Jeremy Cunningham/Dustin Laurenzi/Paul Bryan

A Better Ghost 2022
alto saxophone & effects
Harry Styles

Harry’s House 2022
saxophone/sax synth & effects
Anna Butterss

Activities 2022
alto saxophone
Carlos Niño

Extra Presence 2022
alto saxophone, synthesizer
Moonchild

Starfruit 2022
alto saxophone
Ezra Furman

All Of Us Flames 2022
saxophones
Red Hot Chili Peppers

Return of the Dream Canteen 2022
alto saxophone
Red Hot Chili Peppers

Unlimited Love 2022
alto saxophone
Kiefer

When There’s Love Around 2021
alto saxophone
Jamire Williams

But Only After You Have Suffered 2021
synthesizer, mellotron, programming
Leon Bridges

Gold-Diggers Sound 2021
alto saxophone
Snaarj

Snaarj II 2021
alto saxophone, flute, composer, pump organ
Nate Mercereau

Sundays 2021
alto saxophone & effects, sampler
Lee Pardini

Homebodies 2021
alto saxophone
Melody Gardot

Sunset in the Blue (deluxe) 2021
alto saxophone
Chicago Underground Quartet

Good Days 2020
wurlitzer, piano, organ, synth bass
Josh Johnson

Freedom Exercise 2020
alto saxophone, synthesizers, samplers, wurlitzer, mellotron, flute, bass clarinet
Jeff Parker

Suite for Max Brown 2020
alto saxophone, electric piano
Makaya McCraven

Universal Beings E&F Sides 2020
alto saxophone
Jeremy Cunningham

The Weather Up There 2020
synthesizers, wurlitzer, alto saxophone, bass clarinet, composer
Gregory Uhlmann

Neighborhood Watch 2020
synthesizers
Carlos Niño

Actual Presence 2020
synthesizer
St. Panther

These Days 2020
flute
Aditya Prakash Ensemble

Diaspora Kid 2020
alto saxophone
Joshua Crumbly

Rise 2020
alto saxophone
Marquis Hill

Love Tape 2019
alto saxophone
Louis Cole

Live Sesh and Xtra Songs 2019
alto saxophone
Nate Mercereau

Joy Techniques 2019
alto saxophone
Dexter Story

Bahir 2019
flute, alto saxophone
Mark de Clive-Lowe

Heritage II 2019
flute, alto saxophone & effects
Mark de Clive-Lowe

Heritage 2019
flute, alto saxophone & effects
Daniel Rotem & Josh Johnson

Sweet Stuff 2019
alto saxophone, arranger
Sara Gazarek

Thirsty Ghost 2019
horn orchestration, arranger alto saxophone
Makaya McCraven

Universal Beings 2018
alto saxophone
Dawes

Passwords 2018
alto saxophone
Marquis Hill

Modern Flows Vol 2 2018
alto saxophone
Anthony Fung

Flashpoint 2018
alto saxophone
Mark de Clive-Lowe

Live at the Blue Whale 2017
alto saxophone, flute, composer
Carlos Niño & Friends

Going Home 2017
alto saxophone, synthesizers, flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone
Holophonor

Light Magnet 2017
alto saxophone, composer
Joshua White

13 Short Stories 2017
alto saxophone
Josh Nelson

The Sky Remains 2017
alto saxophone, flute, composer
Jonah Levine Collective

Attention Deficit 2017
alto saxophone
Mike Lebrun

Shades 2017
alto saxophone
Jeff Parker

The New Breed 2016
alto saxophone, wurlitzer, flute, mellotron, clarinet, rhodes
Mast

Love and War 2016
alto saxophone
Jeremy Cunningham

re: dawn (from far) 2016
alto saxophone, composer
Michael Buble

Nobody But Me 2016
alto saxophone
Holophonor

Holophonor 2014
alto saxophone, composer
Snaarj

Levels 2012
alto saxophone, composer