BIOGRAPHIES
Carol Genetti | Jon Mueller | Jack Wright

JON MUELLER has been an active drummer and percussionist since the early 90s. Whether utilizing bombastic minimalism, dense interplay, or electroacoustic practices, his approach focuses on a physical dialog between situation and material. He has been featured on numerous recordings and has performed throughout the U.S., Japan, and The Netherlands.

He was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1970 and started playing drums at the age of 15. For one year, he played only snare drum, which proved challenging to start a death metal band with.  In 1990 he moved to Chicago, and studied drums with the late jazz legend Hal Russell, an experience that opened up a whole new approach to drumming to him. During this time he also studied film and writing, and became frustrated with how they continuously fall short of one another. He eventually received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and in 1999 finally completed the ridiculous novella Pianobread.  He continues to write, but only when the voices tell him.  Musically, he has been involved the groups Telecognac, Pele, and Collections of Colonies of Bees, playing drums, percussion, piano, and narrative. Always interested in the mysterious result of collaborations, he has recorded or performed with a broad range of artists, including guitarist Chris Rosenau, violinist Aranos, saxophonist Boris Hauf, vocalist/pianist Jarboe, saxophonist Steve Nelson-Raney, multi-instrumentalist Hal Rammel, saxophonist Bhob Rainey, table-top guitarist Adam Sonderberg, sound artist Asmus Tietchens, cellist Matt Turner, sound artist Achim Wollscheid, saxophonist Jack Wright, and vocalist Carol Genetti, and he has also performed as part of cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra. He has composed music for dance and film, has appeared on numerous CDs and LPs on labels throughout the world, and has performed throughout the U.S. and Japan.

In 1998, he started Crouton, an organization involved in releasing sound and material in limited editions, hosting an online magazine, distributing other labels releases, and hosting performance events.  Releases have included Lionel Marchetti, Asmus Tietchens, The Hafler Trio, Jason Kahn, Richard Chartier, Achim Wollscheid, and many others.  Performances have included Phill Niblock, Peter Brotzmann, Olivia Block, Ken Vandermark, and more. Crouton is known to many people as a record label, but to some it is a strange voice in the night.

website: http: www.jonmueller.net/main.html 
Crouton:  http: www.croutonmusic.com

"Mueller certainly knows how to keep his listeners guessing and listening closely to his strange and interesting arrangements."
– Richard di Santo, Incursion.org (CA)

"Mueller has found a way to go beyond his free jazz past and take the world of instrumental virtuosity into the 21st century."
– Dan Warburton, Paristransatlantic.com (FR)

"Drummer Jon Mueller creates some of the most wonderful drum sections. His avant-garde style formulates a steady beat and, when an interlude allows, the release of all the repressed rhythmic energy this man contains."
– Emotemusic.com (US)

"Mueller is absolutely breathtaking to watch. His jazz-influenced drumming is unique, creative, and inspiring."
– Marvin Lin, Tinymixtapes.com (US)

"Mueller's drumming is quite phenomenal being at the same time sympathetic and full, always propulsive but always leaving space for the other players."
– David Cowling, Americana UK (UK)

"(Mueller's) creative drumming style ranges from fire music madness to extremely delicate textures that have little to do with conventional drumming."
– Francois Couture, All Music Guide

“Mueller’s minimalist percussion raises hypnotic palettes of solid color. He merges the human touch with the objects that he vibrates, pops, scrapes, or taps.”
–Mark Corroto, All About Jazz

“Mueller goes straight to the core of drums' pneumonic organism, avoiding easy edulcoration to privilege spacing systems and sustained transmutations, where snare drums become turbocharged in an itinerant mass of resonant charms and the deep rumble of a sapiently treated (?) bass drum (???) skin transforms itself into a hoarse monster of droning majesty reigning in deafening volume.”
–Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes

Solo and collaboration:
Pianobread - S/T, book/CD box (performed on CD and also wrote novella of the same title in box) Crouton (US), 1999
Raccoons (Rammel/Mueller/Rosenau) –
S/T CD – Crouton (US), 2000

Castle Broadway – S/T CD,
Soutrane Recording Company (US), 2000

Field Of Sound – S/T CD,
Soutrane Recording Company (US), 2000

Lancaster, Byard Trio – S/T CD,
Soutrane Recording Company (US), 2000
 
Nelson-Raney, Steve/Jon Mueller – Cutting Off The Edge Of Time CD, Penumbra Music (US), 2001

Folktales No. 2 – “How I Learned To Breathe” 3” CD,
Crouton (US), 2001

Raccoons – Mother 2xCD, Crouton (US), 2002

Stassisfield – “A Wooden Bicycle” MP3 release,
Stassisfield.com (US), 2002

Asmus Tietchens/Jon Mueller – 7 Stücke CD,
Auf Abwegen (DE), 2003

Solo Percussion For Two – “Beyond the Surface of Actions”, Split 7” with Jeph Jerman, No Information Records (US), 2003

V/A: Just Drums CD – “Pop”, Fever Pitch (US), 2003

Hat Melter (Hess/Klatt/Mueller/Turner) –
Unknown Album LP, Crouton (US), 2003

V/A: the audible still-life CD – “Heat”,
Stasisfield (US), 2003

Jon Mueller/Bhob Rainey/Jim Schoenecker – S/T CD,
Crouton (US), 2004

Jason Kahn and Jon Mueller – Papercuts CD,
Crouton (US), 2004

Jon Mueller and Jim Schoenecker – The Interview CD, Longbox Recordings (US), Forthcoming

Jon Mueller and Kaveh Soofi – Endings book,
Crouton (US), 2004

Jon Mueller – What’s Lost Is Something Important. What’s Found Is Something Not Revealed. CD, Crouton (US), 2005

Jon Mueller – Emerson Hi-Fidelity CD,
Autumn Records (US), 2005

Carol Genetti/Jon Mueller/Jack Wright – Nom Tom CD, Spring Garden Music, 2005

The Portable Quartet – Take The Train CD, Crouton, 2005
Werner Moebius/Jon Mueller/Jim Schoenecker – Amalgam CD, Utech Records (US), 2006

Jason Kahn/Jon Mueller – Supershells CD, Formed Records (US), 2006

With the group Collections of Colonies of Bees:  6 cd’s

With Pele: 11 cd’s and records

With Telecognac: 8 cd’s and records

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