My name is Jonathan Piper. I am a tubist specializing in experimental and improvisational idioms.
As a performer, I seek to explore the outer limits of my instrument, which I take to include my tuba and myself. This has included the development of extended performance techniques, the incorporation of electronics into my practice, the addition to and modification of my tuba, and a compulsion to seek out sounds that are only possible when something fails. I perform regularly as a soloist and in several duo configurations, as well as with orchestras, brass quintets, and a variety of other ensembles. I have presented work at High Desert Soundings, Project [BLANK]’s Working Title, Drone Not Drones, and more.
My solo work revolves around the combination of tuba and electronics and the pursuit of bodily and performative extremes. I employ elements of drone, doom, noise, free jazz, and more, supported by extended techniques including circular breathing, multiphonics, and the use of non-traditional mouthpieces and instrument modifications. I have delivered talks about my approach to the instrument at CalArts, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UC Irvine.
Sound Praxis is a concert series presenting experimental and improvised musics from artists working across genres and idioms. I put on Sound Praxis shows at Best Practice, a gallery in the Bread & Salt complex in Barrio Logan.
1515, duo with Ryan Ebaugh (sax). We play improvised music that flows dynamically from high-energy, frenetic freakouts to introspective harmonic explorations. We perform actively across Southern California, and recently released an album with Matraca Tapes.
go by land, duo with Michelle Lou (bass and electronics). We create large-scale, slowly evolving, improvisatory pieces that bring together drone, noise, and jazz idioms.
Codex Confiteor, duo with Meghann Welsh (voice, accordion, oboe, saw, electronics). We take inspiration from pre-tonal Western music traditions and contemporary improvisatory idioms. Our debut album Syncope was released on Stay Strange Records. It explores the ends of the self and the other, weaving together Guillame de Machaut, Hildegard von Bingen, doom metal, and noise into an ecstatic and apocalyptic whole.
G Burns Jug Band, five-piece jug band exploring the repertoire of early 20th century American recordings. We played regularly around San Diego and Southern California, and twice performed at the National Jug Band Jubilee in Lousville, Kentucky. With G Burns, I taught jug classes at the National Jug Band Jubilee and the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Workshop.
I have worked as a museum curator, heading the NAMM Museum of Making Music from 2017 to 2023. In that role I strived to create exhibitions that inspire thoughtful conversation and reevaluation. My work combines approachable and playful interpretations of complex ideas, engaging designs and interactions, and technological solutions providing deep functionality while remaining largely invisible to the visitor. I also have extensive experience with exhibition installation and fabrication and, when necessary, create my own software tools to support my work including a content management system for scripts, object descriptions, and media; a presentation platform for creating interactive displays based on managed content; and an environmental monitoring system with flexible alerting and reporting.
My dissertation, Locating Experiential Richness in Doom Metal, provides an analysis of doom metal including history and musical characteristics, an examination of common thematic content, and a psychoanalytic investigation of the experience of a performance. A closely related paper was presented to the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, US Chapter. Previous research into the effects of digital media on musical consumption was presented to IASPM-US and the Society for Ethnomusicology.
I earned a BA in Musical Performance, studying with Tommy Johnson, at UCLA in 2005, and an MA and PhD in Critical Studies/Experimental Practices at UCSD in 2007 and 2013, respectively. I currently live in San Diego with my wife, daughter, and son.