Kaslo Jazz etc. floating stage with Breakwater

Thank you Jeff Faragher & Breakwater for the opportunity to perform on the floating stage at the 2015 Kaslo Jazz etc. festival. What a treat! I had to jump into the lake off the back of the stage after the show.. it’s tradition!

Dreamtree Project at Starbelly Jam

Gallery

This gallery contains 12 photos.

Photos by Joel Pelletier www.joelpelletier.ca Featuring Adham Shaikh, Uwe Neumann, Gurpreet Chana, Marty Carter, and yours truly, Ben Johnson performing at the 2015 Starbelly Jam music festival.

Aire Nuevo – Música Musa

A nice recording credit for the Dog House Studio!

Kenji Fukushima recorded his guitar tracks in the Riondel studio last January, and we sent them off to Hans in Mexico City for mixing.

So inspiring to be part of an international collaboration! Kenji’s guitar is heard on:

  • track 5; Inspiración 17:01
  • track 6; Música Musa 19:34

 

A Dream of Tulum


A “dreamscape” produced with field recordings from Tulum (Q. Roo) and Merida (Yucatan), Mexico. The Caribbean Sea breeze playing the strings of an Aeolian harp, a Guitarrón surreptitiously plucked, a Mayan ritual re-enactment.

released 24 June 2014
Caty Petersen (Aeolian harp), Indira Beatrix (laughter).

Dog House Studio

A little cabin in the woods, where magic happens.

Some stuff we’ve created here:

Studio inquiries: Contact Ben

Unity 2012

This year’s Unity festival in Winlaw, BC opened with world music improv group “Shrutrio”, composed of Prashant Michael John on vocals & resonator guitar, Marty Carter on flute, saxophone, Akai Ewi wind synth and djembe, and Ben Johnson on oud and tabla. Building on repertoire developed during Kirtan night performances together, the trio took some traditional song forms along with some of Prashant’s original pieces into extra-dimensional sacred space.

What a wonderful way to open a festival! Photography by Bohdan Doval.

the Outworld Orkestra

Live world fusion/acoustic-electronic music project with Adham Shaikh, the Outworld Orkestra (www.outworld-orkestra.com) brings together the talents of artists from around the sphere adding unique and exotic instrumentation, dance and visual media to Adham’s organic and electronic sounds. The collaboration of the musicians with dance & visual art creates global music tapestries that take listeners on sonic journeys transcending time and place.
Continue reading

Great Central Sun (Shine, 2012)

Australian Didjeridu master Shine‘s first full-length release Great Central Sun – produced by Adham Shaikh – features Ben Johnson throughout on a variety of instruments including oud, çümbüş, tabla, Persian santoor & darbuka.
Continue reading

Gesundheit! (Heavy Shtetl, 2010)

Recorded in one take in one room with one microphone, Gesundheit! is the second release by Nelson BC’s premiere klezmer jazz outfit, Heavy Shtetl. Featuring Ben Johnson on drums & darbukka.
Continue reading

5 Lb. Hammer (Howlin’ Dan & the Riondelics, 2009)

Produced by D.G. Silakiewicz & Ben Johnson, 5 Lb. Hammer features Ben Johnson on drums throughout, and on keyboard accordion on the Blues-Tango number ‘Hey Cinderella’.
Continue reading

Dinner in Polidroso (Rembetika Hipsters, 2004)

The Rembetika Hipsters‘ second album, marking the song-writing debut of Ben Johnson with the instrumental track ‘Mersini’. Ben is also featured on tabla on ‘Oso Varoun ta Sidera’, – a bold choice for a Cretan folk tune – and on drum kit in 7/8 time on ‘Evil Eye’.

Continue reading

Xpandora & the Handsome Strangers (2003)

Multi-disciplinary artist Xstine Cook released this EP featuring her original songs, Mark Sadlier-Brown on guitar, Mike McCafferty on bass, and Ben Johnson on drums. Performance highlights included whip-cracking solos, musical saw performance, and an axe solo.

Belladonna (Plaid Tongued Devils, 2002)

A thick soup of pop, rock and ska made with the salty base of gypsy and klezmer music with dashes of spanish and middle eastern influences, Belladonna is the Plaid-Tongued Devils‘ fourth release.

Features Ben Johnson performing a santoor intro to the classic ‘Misirlou’, and on tabla alongside Meghana Bhat’s lovely sitar on ‘Kama Sutra’.