The AJW has created its own performance series in order to provide a platform for new jazz in Santa Fe
Dec 5 - Chris Jonas Trio
Ro(b)//ert Lundberg's Addendum
7:30 pm / Entropy Gallery - Santa Fe / $10
Saxophonist Chris Jonas will present a program of his new compositions with his trio and will share the evening with Ro(b)//ert Lundberg's Addendum. Tickets $10 at the door, advance tickets at Hold My Ticket
Chris Jonas is a Santa Fe, New Mexico-based composer, conductor, soprano and tenor saxophone player, filmmaker, and video artist. Jonas has performed, recorded, and toured around the world with many musicians including TILT Brass, the Crossing Choir, Del Sol String Quartet, Butch Morris, Assif Tsahar, James Emery, Myra Melford, William Parker, Cecil Taylor, and Anthony Braxton. His recent release "backwardsupwardsky" has been described by All About Jazz thusly: "Jonas' compositions are less concerned with traditional harmonic progression than with the very shapes and rhythms of the land itself. The result is music that unfolds like terrain: patient, unpredictable and charged with elemental force". Hear it for yourself at Bandcamp
Ro(b)//ert Lundberg makes sound and image, thinks about and drinks water. Now based in Chicago, they have performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe at festivals such as Big Ears and CURRENTS New Media. They perform solo and with outfits ranging from improvising ensembles to art rock band JOBS. Their multimedia artistic work often focuses on the interaction of human infrastructure and the spaces it inhabits. They earned a BFA in jazz performance from The New School (New York) and graduate degrees in law and environmental art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Their new album and book by-passing-upon is out Oct 24, 2025 via AKP Recordings. More info at roberteplundberg.com
Jan 17 - James Emery Neo Trio
7:30 pm / Entropy Gallery - Santa Fe / $20
The Avant Jazz Workshop is truly honored to present renowned guitarist and composer James Emery. He will be joined by two other virtuosos, Alex Murzyn on woodwinds and John Funkhouser on bass. Tickets $20 at the door, advance tickets at Hold My Ticket
In the spring of 2022, Emery relocated to Santa Fe, NM, after nearly 50 in the New York area, marking a new chapter in his illustrious 45-year career of touring and recording worldwide. A Guggenheim Fellow, Emery has performed at some of the world's most prestigious concert venues, including Great Performers at Lincoln Center (NYC), The Menil Collection (Houston), Philharmonic Hall (Berlin), Royal Festival Hall (London), Espace Cardin (Paris), Bunkamura Hall (Tokyo), City Hall (Hong Kong), the Roman amphitheater at Carthage (Tunisia), and Chowdiah Memorial Hall (Bangalore, India).
As the co-founder of the pioneering chamber jazz ensemble The String Trio of New York, Emery has earned international acclaim for his innovative and highly original approach to both improvisation and composition. Since 1975, he has been an active performer and a frequently commissioned composer in the international jazz and contemporary music scene. With more than two dozen albums as a leader or co-leader and live performances spanning over 25 countries, Emery’s artistry has been described as "innovative and imaginative" and "utterly distinctive" by the Penguin Guide to Jazz. His orchestral recording, Transformations, was selected for The History of Jazz in the 1001 Best Albums by the same guide.
Emery’s ensembles and collaborations have earned him critical praise, especially for his work with The String Trio of New York, which celebrates its 48th anniversary in 2026. Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with an array of contemporary music masters, including Anthony Braxton, Steve Reich, Wadada Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, The Human Arts Ensemble, Joe Lovano, Muhal Richard Abrams, Leroy Jenkins, and many others.
To date, Emery has composed over 170 works, including a recent double concerto commissioned by the Skidmore College Orchestra. One of his proudest moments was performing the piece alongside his daughter, clarinetist Hannah Emery.
The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Emery has also been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, The Cary Trust, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and Chamber Music America, among others. His music has been commissioned by prestigious programs, including Meet the Composer/Rockefeller/AT&T, Skidmore College, Between the Lines Records, Chamber Music America, and the MTC/Lila Wallace Jazz Program.
In addition to his performance career, Emery has contributed to music education through master classes and residencies at institutions such as Stanford, Columbia, Skidmore, Dartmouth, UCLA, and USC. He also taught jazz ensemble and private guitar lessons for eight years at SUNY/Orange in New York state.