Education
Primary/Secondary education: UK
Santa Monica College-1986-88
Cabrillo College- 1988-89
University Of New Orleans- 1990-91
California Institute of the Arts- 2011-2014 (composition)
additionally: studied composition privately with Dr. James P. Walsh 1994-98. guitar/composition with Carl LeBlanc- 1990-1992
Awards, Scholarships, Grants
-Louisiana Governor’s Music Fellow- 2008
-Louisiana Division of the Arts- DAF grant-2007
-Arts Council of New Orleans- operating assistance grant- 2007
-New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation Grant- 2006
-20 Big Easy Award in Folk, Reggae, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Latin, best guitar categories.
-18 Offbeat Entertainment Awards also in multiple categories
-Downbeat Critics Poll- Rising Star Guitar player
-Subject of a radio documentary by award winning documentarian, David Kunian. "Jonathan Freilich's Freedom Double-O Naked Klezmer Jazz Latin Boogaloo: The Radio Documentary
Experience:
Bandleader:
Naked On The Floor
The Naked Orchestra
The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars
Jonathan Freilich Band featuring Walter Payton
The Tom Paines
Poor Man’s Speedball
Sideman
Kermit Ruffins (jazz)
Mike Ward and the Reward(new orleans funk)
Robbie Robertson (rock’n’roll/ songwriter)
Walter Payton and the Snapbean jazz band(New Orleans jazz
James Singleton Group
Michael Ray and the Kosmik Krewe (Avant-funk/creative jazz)
Marshall Allen (space is the place)
Frederick Sheppard(jazz)
Fermin Muguruza
Alex Mcmurray Band
Derrick Freeman and Smoker’s World(R’n’B/funk)
Soul Brass Band
Midnite Disturbers Brass Band
Mark Bingham(producer/composer)
Johnny Adams(Blues)
007(Jamaican Rock Steady)
Peter Stampfel(Americana)
Mas Mamones(Afro Cuban)
Los Vecinos(Afro Cuban)
Ernie K-Doe (Rhythm n Blues)
3rd Nature-(jazz)
Tim Green(jazz)
Dennis Gonzalez(creative)
The Drunken Masters(bizarro americana)
The Wild Magnolias (new orleans R’n’B)
Gavin DeGraw (Rock)-recorded with
Phil DeGruy (call it watcha wanna)
Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone (Blues)
Andy J Forest
Sunpie and the Sunspots
Henry Butler (New Orleans)
The Royal Fingerbowl (Rock’n’Roll)
Rick Trolsen (Jazz/Funk)
Burton Greene (Free Jazz)
Kidd Jordan (Unknown) played with
Helen Gillet (French chanson) and Wazozo
Marianne Faithfull- recorded with
Andrei Codrescu
Bernie Worrell
Russell Battiste
Anders osborne
Stanton Moore
Davis Rogan and All That
Mean Willie Green
Johnny Vidacovich
James Andrews
Shannon Powell- performed with
George Porter- recorded with
arranger
?NOLA? Irun meets New Orleans-Fermin Muguruza (Talka Records)
Horns for U2 performance of Bang a Gong on Hal Wilner’s T. Rex tribute album.
Arrangements for Mark Bingham and Peter Stampfel
Producer
NOLA? Irun meets New Orleans-Fermin Muguruza (Talka Records)
Borvis- The New Orleans Kleamer All-Stars (independent)
Studied Rudeness-007 (independent)
You Only Drop Once-007 (independent)
Brief Repairs on the Gradually Unravelling Spool in the Sense Continuum-The Naked Orchestra(independent)
Pandemonium to Eidolons- The Naked Orchestra(Independent)
Contributions to the Artistic Community
Panel for Louisiana Division of the Arts Fellowship selection (2010)
Panel For ACNO grant selection(2009)
Released a series of audio interview podcasts chronicling the New Orleans Underground (ongoing)
Reviews and Features
New York Times
Los Angeles Times
Downbeat
Jazziz
Coda
LA Weekly
Offbeat
Gambit Weekly
Austin Chronicle
Dallas Morning News
Selected Performances
American Folk Life Festival- July 4th, Washington Monument, DC (1998)
Wolftrap- Washington DC (1999)
Berlin Jazz Festival (2000)
Playboy Jazz Festival, Los Angeles, CA (2006)
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (all years 1990-2019)
AnnArbor Blues Festival (1996)
Barbican Arts Festival (1996)
High Sierra Festival, CA (1998)
Bumbershoot festival, Seattle WA (1996,1998, 2000, 2004)
South by Southwest, Austin TX (1995)
Summer stages, NY (1998)
Louisiana Folklife Festival (1994, 1997)
Festival Internationale, Lafayette (1992-4)
Barcelona Festival
Cultural Inquieta
Pamplona festival opening
Selected Recordings
The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars- Stretchy Records
Manichalfwitz- The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars (Gert town records)
The Big Kibosh-The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars (Shanachie records)
Fresh Out The Past- The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars(Shanachie Records)
Borvis- The New Orleans Kleamer All-Stars (independent)
Aguacero e Paranda-Mas Mamones(independent)
Guajira in cyberspace- Los Vecinos(independent)
Brief Repairs on the Gradually Unravelling Spool in the Sense Continuum-The Naked Orchestra(independent)
Pandemonium to Eidolons- The Naked Orchestra(Independent)
Naked On the Floor(Valid)
Studied Rudeness-007 (independent)
You Only Drop Once-007 (independent)
Crazyhorse Mongoose-Galactic-(Volcano
Tribute to Boozoo Chavis-The New Orleans Klezmer All Stars(Rounder)
Poems for New Orleans- Ed Sanders (Paris records)
Happy Birthday, Sabo-The Royal Fingerbowl(TVT records)
Let ‘em Have it- Iris May Tango(independent)
Guano and Nitrates- The Valparaiso Men’s Chorus
How to be a cannonball-Alex Mcmurray(Threadhead records)
The Rites of Man-The Tom Paines (Threadhead Records)
Songs of Vengeance-Mark Bingham(Piety Street)
Horses and High Heels- Marianne Faithfull(101 Distribution)
?NOLA? Irun meets New Orleans-Fermin Muguruza (Talka Records)
Professional Associations
BMI - DerKop Music.
BMG- (publishing administrator)
Commercial/ Film
Composed soundtrack for commercials: Mercedes, Southwest Airlines, Verizon.
Composed music for The Dukes of Hazzard (Warner DVD.)
Music featured in TV show, Andy Richter Conquers the Universe.
Esplanade- collaboration with photographer, David Gamble (2019)
composed for Rituals of a Globalist- Julie Weitz (2019)
Theater and Opera
Musical Director for California Institute of the Arts production of Brecht/Weill's The Threepenny Opera
Composer, Director and Librettist of Bang the Law- (2009) opera performed 3 times in New Orleans.
Composer- ee me and pollock thee. Opera written by Adam Falik. Performances 2011 New Orleans
Composer for opera The Coronation- directed and written by Bernard Pearce(2019) Performed at The Music Box Village.
Composer, Director and Librettist for Darling, please do not be offended at what I wrote. 2017 Operetta for Bloomsday, New Orleans on James Joyce’s dirty letters to his partner Nora Barnacle.
Educational
Taught Media Arts at New Orleans Center for Contemporary Arts.
Guest Lectured- Tulane University, Loyola University, UCLA