Dissecting the sound of Joe Armon-Jones

The keyboardist and composer breaks down his process.

A central figure in London’s collaborative jazz scene, Joe Armon-Jones has had a prolific few years. Since 2017, he has appeared on over 20 recordings – with artists including Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia and Moses Boyd – dropped a brace of EPs, and is now preparing to release his second album, Turn To Clear View, on Browswood Recordings.

Such is the nature of his recording and touring schedule, that writing tends to happen in the spaces in between – melodies jotted down as voice notes, culled from sound checks or train rides back to Hither Green. These then form the basis of his own compositions, which are jammed out in the studio with friends. He works out synth and piano parts in the house he shares with fellow musician Maxwell Owin, and vocals tend to be laid down from a mic in the bedroom closet, laundry used to dampen the sound.

While his surroundings may be ad hoc, Armon-Jones has quickly built a reputation as both an exciting improvisor, and an open-minded composer, drawing on influences from Ethio-jazz to trap in equal measure.

Ahead of the release of Turn To Clear View, Armon-Jones takes us through the making of two of his tracks – ‘Icy Roads’ and ‘Yellow Dandelion’, which features the voice of Georgia Anna Muldrow.

Joe Armon-Jones also appears on Untitled, a collaborative project inspired by the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, released by Lonely Table, Anja Ngozi and THe Vinyl Factory earlier this year.