Jon Armstrong is a saxophonist, composer, and educator who is interested in the mysticism, magic, and power of music. He serves as the Director of Jazz and Commercial Music at Idaho State University. He moved to Pocatello in 2015 after working as a professional musician in Los Angeles for nine years and touring through the United States, Japan, Austria, and Germany on saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass, guitar, piano, drums, and electronic sampler. He is also an endorsed artist for Antigua Winds.

Jon established a reputation as an innovative bandleader with three critically acclaimed album releases of his original work released on Orenda Records: Farewell (2013), expansive compositions for a 23-piece jazz orchestra, Burnt Hibiscus (2016), 10-piece chamber jazz ensemble performing music based on surrealist poetry set to traditional Hindustani music, and Reabsorb (2020), a two-song avant-garde suite about mortality for sextet. He has also collaborated as a performer, recording/mixing/mastering engineer, and producer on a myriad of recordings.

As a composer, Jon has written for various jazz ensembles and chamber groups, choir, and orchestra. His 2025 concerto for saxophone and orchestra, “Voluntary Breath” was commissioned by the Great Falls Orchestra, and then performed and recorded by the Idaho State-Civic Symphony, which was released on Orenda Records and City Creek Records in 2026. He is also a passionate multi-disciplinary collaborator, in working with theater, dance, and film, he composes both instrumental and vocal music based on poetry.

Jon co-created the Commercial Music degree at ISU, a dynamic creative music program, developing an educational experience that prepares each student for a dynamic and successful career as a contemporary musician. While in school, each student produces an original album that they release on City Creek Records, our internally run record label. Throughout his academic career, he has been awarded numerous arts grants and invites world-class musicians to perform and record alongside ISU music students. In particular, he won the 2019 Performing Arts Fellowship on behalf of the Idaho Commission on the Arts and was named an Outstanding Researcher at Idaho State University in 2026.

In Los Angeles he performed with musical luminaries Vinny Golia (avant-garde jazz musician), Bennie Maupin (saxophonist who performed and recorded with Miles Davis), Vincent Gallo (indie filmmaker and songwriter), and Mike Barone (arranger and composer for “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson). He co-founded the jazz quartet Slumgum and released three critically acclaimed albums. Jonathan has performed across the United States, in Japan, Austria, and Germany on saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass, guitar, piano, drums, and electronic sampler. He has also performed on countless recording sessions, concerts, and festivals.

Jonathan hosts a regular radio show entitled Don’t Call it Jazz for NPR affiliate KISU, and adores hanging out and laughing with his wife and two children.