latest press release
LATEST PRESS RELEASE


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2006
Media Contact: Matt Beasley
Avatar Productions
650.400.920
mattbeas@aol.com
For hi-res photos, please visit http://www.edbjohnson.com/presskit.html


ED JOHNSON & NOVO TEMPO TO LIGHT UP SAN JOSE
IN AUGUST WITH MULTIPLE SHOWS

ED JOHNSON'S ORIGINAL MUSIC BRINGS A COOL BURST OF BRAZIL TO THE SAN JOSE JAZZ FESTIVAL ON AUGUST 20 & SANTANA ROW AUGUST 29

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS:
Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo
17th Annual Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival Presented by Southwest Airlines
Sunday, August 20, 3:00pm
Latin Stage
www.sanjosejazz.org

Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo
Santana Row Summer Jazz Series
Tuesday, August 29, 6:00-9:00pm
Santana Row, San Jose CA
www.sanjosejazz.org, www.santanarow.com

July 10, 2006; San Jose, CA; Music fans in San Jose will have reason to dance in the streets in August as the San Jose Jazz Society features Silicon Valley native Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo in two upcoming special events. The 17th Annual San Jose Jazz Festival will get an electrifying jolt of Samba and Bossa Nova on August 20 as Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo take the Latin Stage at 3:00pm. For those who miss out on the first round of festivities - or for those looking for a repeat performance - Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo will perform August 29 at 6:00pm for the Summer Jazz Series at San Jose's trendy Santana Row.

Blending Brazilian with classical music, R&B, jazz, Afro-Cuban, and rock ’n’ roll, Ed Johnson’s mastery of so many different styles factor into a magical blend of vibrantly original contemporary music. JazzTimes Magazine describes Johnson’s music as “goosebump worthy,” while Vintage Guitar Magazine says that his sound is “a blend that goes down as easy as a good cup of coffee.”

Over the course of three solo recordings and a twenty-five year career performing, composing, and teaching music, Johnson has emerged as a stalwart veteran of the contemporary Brazilian music community in the U.S. While the residencies of Brazilians such as Claudia Villela, Jovino Santos Neto and Marcos Silva have dotted the West Coast landscape, few Americans have attained the passion and mastery to not only sing and perform intricate Brazilian music, but to carry forward the music with original vocal and instrumental compositions.

Johnson's sound is also noteworthy for his expansive eight-piece ensemble, Novo Tempo, which captures full sounds and rhythms tough to match with a small ensemble. For the performance at the San Jose Jazz Festival, Ed Johnson will be joined many of the finest West Coast artists: Canadian vocalist Jennifer Scott, trumpeter and flugelhornist John Worley (Stanley Clarke, Wayne Shorter Sextet), woodwinds player Kristin Strom (Nuclear Whales), guitar/mandolin wizard Scott Sorkin, bass star Rene Worst, drummer Mark Ivester, and percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz. For Ed Johnson's performance on August 29, Jason Lewis will join Novo Tempo on drums in place of Mark Ivester.

The San Jose performances will feature selections from Ed Johnson’s last album, “Movimento” (Cumulus Records), mixed in with new material from his upcoming album “The Other Road.” Featuring vibrant, original contemporary jazz with a Latin feel and a refreshing emphasis on harmony vocals and horn arrangements, “Movimento” is an energetic twist on Brazilian pop and will delight audiences of all ages.

With the sounds of Brazil drifting through the air in San Jose, Ed Johnson & Novo Tempo will give music fans two days of music to remember this August.

For More Information, Photos, Interviews, or Press Kit & CD, Please Contact:
Jason Arnold, Theme Productions
510.326.4353
Jason@themeproductions.com

“The talent on stage was enough to lift your socks off. When given the chance this eleven-piece band soared like a samba and soothed like a lover and surely in the end raised their audience to their feet. ”
Jean Bartlett, Pacifica Tribune,
“Ed Johnson’s recent West Coast tour is testimony that a truly great leader must have the ability to write, arrange, perform, sing, and connect with the audience every time he takes the stage. Johnson’s recent tour through Bellingham was the perfect adjunct performance for The Jazz Project’s regular concert series. …Only the truly seasoned performer can pull off this kind of eclectic mix of Brazilian, straight-ahead, and R&B, and make it sound convincing. The Project looks forward to his next tour.”
Jud Sherwood, The Jazz Project, Bellingham, WA, www.jazzproject.org
“Ed Johnson’s music is sensuous and mesmerizing. He is a brilliant singer and instrumentalist who possesses a superb understanding of how to write and arrange. Ed is one of those rare, impressive talents that comes along and keeps those of us in the industry from becoming jaded. His concert with his band Novo Tempo was truly one of the best performances we've had at the Jazz and Blues Company.”
Gary Hamada, Senior Vice President, Wisdom Broadcasting, Carmel, CA
“Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo thrilled his audience at Lairmont Manor with an exciting blend of South American rhythms and sophisticated jazz. Our hall was packed with avid fans of Ed’s, and Bellingham looks forward to his entertaining us again soon.”
Joyce L. White, General Manager, Lairmont Manor, Bellingham, WA
“Guitarist/vocalist Ed Johnson is an eclectic musician in the best sense, in that his basic jazz orientation is broadened by a real passion for Brazilian music, R&B and pop. His music feels organic, not like a hybridized, market-driven product.”
The Triple Door, Seattle