Max Johnson is a New York-born bassist, composer, and bandleader. A versatile performer, Max Johnson leads and accompanies some of the World's finest Jazz, Bluegrass, Rock, Blues and Klezmer ensembles through a myriad of compositions and improvisations. As a student of legendary bassists Henry Grimes and Reggie Workman, Johnson carries on a flame of creating unique textures and ideas to build a world of sounds around. His bass playing has been compared to the work of William Parker, Jimmy Garrison, Geezer Butler, and "a young, very Caucasian Charles Mingus". Currently, Max Johnson can be found playing 12 to 15 times a month around New York and it's surroundings.
Johnson's musical life began at age 13, when he bought his first electric bass and by age 16, as a student at the School of Rock, Max Johnson landed a gig with King Crimson's Adrian Belew. Following the success of that performance, while still in High School, Max toured across the world with artists such as John Wetton, Jon Anderson, The Butthole Surfers while playing shows with Vernon Reid, Andrew W.K., Ronnie Spector, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and many others. After his graduation from high school, as a student of the New School University, Johnson's musicianship expanded, landing him gigs with jazz greats: Perry Robinson, Steve Swell, Ahmed Abdullah; Latin Legends: Candido Camero Bobby Sanabria, Johnny Rodrguez and bluegrass innovators Tony Trischka, Chris Eldridge. At present, no music is off limits to Max Johnson as he can be heard playing anything from Experimental Music to Klezmer, Jazz to Bluegrass, Latin and Rock Music and everywhere in between.