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John-Carlos Perea

Multi-instrumentalist, Composer

John-Carlos Perea’s (Mescalero Apache, Irish, Chicano, German) research interests include jazz and improvised music performance and composition, urban American Indian lived experiences and cultural productions, music technologies, recording and archiving practices, social constructions of "noise," Native and African American jazz cultures, and the Creek and Kaw saxophonist Jim Pepper. In addition to his scholarly activities, Perea maintains an active career as a GRAMMY® Award winning multi-instrumentalist and recording artist. He has recorded on eighteen albums as a sideman and three as a leader, First Dance (2001), Creation Story (2014), and Cedar Flute Songs (forthcoming 2023). In April 2019, Perea was recognized by the San Francisco Arts Commission’s American Indian Initiative for his musical contribution “to reclaim space, to challenge false narratives, and to reimagine public art from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples.” In Fall 2023 John-Carlos Perea will join the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Washington as Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology. He has previously served as Chair and Associate Professor of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University (2010-2023), as Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Music at UC Berkeley (2021-22), and as Visiting Researcher, Composer, and Performer (2022-23) at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT).

Job Title

2nd Generation

Seattle, WA, USA

AIR Artist

John-Carlos Perea

Photo courtesy of the artist

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