Jonathan Saxon is a drummer and percussionist. He performs and records in a variety of musical formats. In 2011, Jonathan toured Europe and the US as a percussionist with Armored Saint. During 2012, Jonathan debuted solo percussion compositions at the opening of the exhibition, Translations: Artists of the Metro Orange Line sponsored by L.A. Metro and L.A. Valley College. In the Fall of 2013, Jonathan’s latest CD, Translation Meditation: Solo Percussion + 2 was released on Bamako Records. Musical adventures in 2014 included recording with legendary drummer Grant Calvin Weston (James Blood Ulmer, Ornette Coleman, John Lurie), performing with the large ensemble Decisive Instant, and performing a set of solo percussion at Sacramento’s In the Flow Festival.
The Weston / Saxon Groove Assembly’s album Acceleration was released on Orenda Records in August 2015. Along with Grant Calvin Weston and Jonathan Saxon, the album features performances by Wayne Peet (Nels Cline, Alex Cline, Vinnie Golia, G.E. Stinson, John Rapson) and Steuart Liebig (Julius Hemphill, Les McCann, Nels Cline, Alex Cline).
Jonathan was recognized with a faculty grant from Antelope Valley College which allowed him to attend the Smithsonian Folkways World Music Pedagogy Certification held at the University of Washington in June 2014.
Jonathan’s writings on music have been published by Smithsonian Folkways and Tape Op: The Creative Music Recording Magazine.