Johannes ‚Jojo’ Mann (born 1996 in Herrenberg) is a Guitarist, Composer and Producer based in Berlin, Germany. After starting his musical path on the alto saxophone at a young age, he moved to the Electric Guitar in his early teens.
After finishing school he moved to Mannheim Germany, to study music with Frank Kuruc at the Conservatory Mannheim. In 2017 he moved to Berlin, to continue his studies at the Jazz Institute Berlin with Paulo Morello, Greg Cohen, Hanno Busch and others. Since then he has become a vital part of the Berlin Jazz Scene playing in Bands like Phillip Dornbusch’s Projektor, the Joshua Jaswon Octet, kapelle17 and getting to perform with people like Savannah Harris, Gwylim Simcock, Kit Downes, Johanna Summer, Elias Stemeseder, Felix Henkelhausen and many more.
Johannes was a part of the German Youth Jazz Orchestra (Bujazzo) from 2017-2019 and has performed all over Europe and Germany (e.g. Bimhuis Amsterdam, Pizza Express Jazz Club London, Jazzfest Bonn, Getxo Jazzfest (Spain), Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia) as well as internationally (e.g. Kennedy Center Washington D.C.; Festival do Jazz do Capao in Bahia, Brazil; Roman Theatre, Amman, Jordan) and his Music got released on Labels like Berthold Records, Ubuntu Music, Doublemoon Records and was played on hr, rbb and BBC Radio.
In his Band „Sun Ark“ he brings together some of the most exciting young musicians of the Berlin Scene to create a new and forward thinking, colorful vision of what Music can sound like today.
dates
2024:
30.1. Rodriguez/Stefansson/Gerstner/Mann @ Rotbart, Berlin
1.2. kapelle17 @ JAK Weinstadt
6.2. Projektor @ Unterfahrt, München
7.2. Projektor @ Loft, Köln
9.2. Projektor @ Domicil, Dortmund
10.2. Projektor @ Donau115, Berlin
17.2. Life is Great @ Rostock
***23.2. Sun Ark Album Release Concert @ Donau115, Berlin***
16.3. Life is Great @ BlueNote, Dresden
17.3. Life is Great @ Saxstall, Pohrsdorf
19.3. Life is Great @ Schlot, Berlin
20.3. Life is Great @ Tante Betty, Nürnberg
21.3. Life is Great @ Chess&Jazz, Berlin
2023:
11.12. kapelle17 @ Jazzclub Karlsruhe
8.12. kapelle17 @ Jazzhaus Heidelberg
28.11. Simon Willson 4tet @ Blue Note Dresden
27.11. Projektor @ Schlot Berlin
25.11. Projektor @ Jazzclub Heidelberg
18.11. Johannes Metzger 4 @ Wendlandjazz
10.11. Micha Jesske Smuk @ Unterfahrt München
3.11. Mann/Janoschka/Stefansson feat Savannah Harris @ Tonkult Mainz
1.11. Projektor @ Jazzclub Tübingen
24.10. Juliana Blumenschein 5 @ Bflat Berlin
7.10. Faraj Suleiman @ Huxley's Berlin
1.10. Johannes Metzger 4 @ Tonhalle Hannover
28.9. JM 4 @ Tangobrücke, Einbeck
27.9. JM4 @ FatJazz Hamburg
24.9. JM4 @ Dumont Aachen
20.9. Joshua Jaswon 8 @ Pizza Express Jazzclub London
21.9. JM4 feat Gwylim Simcock @ Zigzag Berlin
17.9. JM4 @ Jena
14.9. JM4 @ Weltecho Chemnitz
2.9. Marleen Dahms Alloy @ Göttingen
15.7. Faraj Suleiman @ Roman Theatre, Amman, Jordan
14.7. Faraj Suleiman @ Jerusalem
8.7. Faraj Suleiman @ Nazareth
7.7. Faraj Suleiman @ Haifa
16.6. Softee @ Festsaal Kreuzberg, Berlin
15.6. Softee @ radioeins, Berlin
14.6. Softee @ Fluxbau, Berlin
9.6. Amoeba @ makeUP , Berlin
17.5. Jonas Esser 5 @ Donau 115, Berlin
7.5. Projektor @ Tonhalle Hannover
6.5. Projektor @ Ono2 , Frankfurt
5.5. Projektor @ Sounds, Brüssel
4.5. Projektor @ Jaki, Köln
3.5. Projektor @ Villa Sponte, Bremen
24.4. kapelle17 @ Greesberger, Köln
23.4. kapelle17 @ Dumont, Aachen
8.4. Alloy @ Donau115, Berlin
2.4. Projektor @ Fuge trifft Fuge, Denzlingen
1.4. Projektor @ Jazz in der Mitte, Reutlingen
30.3. Projektor @ A-trane, Berlin
29.3. Projektor @ Loch, Wuppertal
Projects
Vibey, soulful and genre-bending, Sun Ark weaves together electronic, hip-hop, Brazilian and jazz influences to create a lush, colourful and orchestral sound. Dreamy and complex, Sun Ark founder and songwriter Johannes Mann describes their self-titled debut album (Berlin’s XJAZZ Music, February 2024) as ‘exploring a landscape’; a sonic story with a sunny, springy opening track that bends into a red-hot, experimental arc. In Sun Ark’s live performances, the band’s beat-driven grooves drift from produced compositions penned by Mann into skillful ambient and collaborative improvisations, creating a sound that is effervescent and entirely unique.
SUN ARK features a constellation of international players at the cutting edge of Berlin’s jazz scene: Mann (guitarist and composer), Asger Nissen (alto saxophone), Povel Widestrand (piano, fender rhodes and synthesizers), Thorbjörn Stefansson (double bass), Marius Wankel (drums) and Bene Jäckle on flute. Mann, Nissen, Widestrand, Stefansson, Wankel and Jäckle have played in venues around the world, from Bahia, Brazil’s Festival de Jazz do Capão to Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center and across a number of local venues, including the Jazzexzess Concert Series, Jazzclub A-Trane and Donau115. In SUN ARK they join forces to improvise and experiment collectively to create a current Sound that aims to have a profound spiritual and emotional Impact.
Solo
The Music on this EP was recorded in September 2021 in a Beach Chair on the Island Norderney early in the Morning . While the sun was rising I tried to meditate on a few of my favorite songs aswell as improvise in order to capture this special moment musically. I recorded it on my Phone and it was later mixed and Mastered by Martin Ruch. The CoverArt is by Ruth Lewis.
Limited Edition of 50 Custom Made Prints of the Album Art with Individual Stones including Downloadcode.
Thanks to Martin, Ruth, Jonas, Sigmund and Thomas and everybody from Orchester im Treppenhaus for their Invitation and the inspiring Time in Norderney.
All Songs composed and performed by Jojo Mann. Track 2 comp. by Olivier Messiaen. Track 6 comp. by John Coltrane. Track 8 comp. by Duke Ellington.
Phillip Dornbusch's Projektor
kapelle17
Joshua Jaswon Octet
