Rolf Johnson
Rolf Johnson graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, which he attended after having won first place in Downbeat Magazine’s annual scholarship competition. His military service was spent in the NORAD Band, where he served as featured jazz trumpet and fluegelhorn soloist, staff arranger, and eventually musical director of the NORAD Commanders Jazz Ensemble. While in Colorado, Rolf served as composer in residence for the Colorado Springs Chamber Music Society, writing original compositions and arrangements for various ensembles, appearing as guest conductor, and performing on trumpet.
Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area he has been active playing and recording both big band and small group jazz, playing in and writing for the Full Faith and Credit Big Band, the Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra (whose CD’s feature Rolf’s compositions and arrangements), and Northbeach’s longtime resident Monday night big band, the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, which has performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Rolf has also played with the Rudy Salvini big band, the Studio 6 Band, and the Don Piestrup band. He has also played in and written for small groups such as Child’s Fancy , the Kromatics world-fusion band, the Kaleidophone ensemble , Kombo Kwela, the Joel Dorham latin jazz ensemble, and the Connell-Purves Project (seven of whose CD’s feature Rolf’s compositions).
Rolf has also been active playing in other genres, such as Salsa and Latin jazz, Brazilian music, and R&B. He has written hundreds of arrangements for Bay Area bands and others in these genres. Notably, the Grammy winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra has commissioned and recorded his arrangements.
In 2009 Rolf returned to school at CSU East Bay, and in 2012 was awarded an Master of Arts in Composition. He continues to be active as a performer and composer/arranger, supplying a constant stream of arrangements to Bay Area bands and others. He has in recent years written quite a few arrangements for the Reno Jazz Orchestra, as wll as fulfilling several commissions from Portugal’s Orquestra do Jazz de Algarve, led by Hugo Alves, most recently for a recording project featuring singer Vania Fernandez and Tenor player Rick Margitza.
Rolf also writes “classical” music. His composition Dance Africaine, recorded remotely during the pandemic, is currently available on Bandcamp. In 2020, his com[position for Messiean Quartet The Mad Weasel’s Romance was selected as the winner of the Composers Concordance 10th annual ‘Generations’ Composition Competition, resulting in a NYC performance.