Budd Johnson
Not to be confused with Buddy Johnson.
| Budd Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Albert J. Johnson |
| Born | December 14, 1910 |
| Origin | Dallas, Texas, United States |
| Died | October 20, 1984 (aged 73) |
| Occupations | saxophonist |
| Instruments | Tenor saxophone, Soprano saxophone, clarinet |
| Years active | 1920s-1970s |
Budd Johnson (14 December 1910 – 20 October 1984) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Earl Hines, among others.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
He initially played drums and piano before switching to tenor saxophone. In the 1920s he performed in Texas and parts of the Midwest, working with Jesse Stone among others. Budd Johnson had his recording debut while working with Louis Armstrong's band in 1932-1933, but is more known for his work with Earl Hines. It is contended that he led Hines to hire "modernists." He was also an early figure in the bebop era doing sessions with Coleman Hawkins in 1944. In the 1950s he led his own group and did some session work for Atlantic Records -- he is the featured tenor saxophone soloist on Ruth Brown's hit, "Teardrops from My Eyes". In the mid-1960s he began working again with Hines. His association with Hines is the longest lasting and arguably most significant. In 1975 he began working with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993. His grandson, Albert Johnson (aka Prodigy) is a member of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep.[2]
[edit] Discography
[edit] As leader
- 1956: Blues a la Mode (Felsted Records UK, with Charlie Shavers, Vic Dickenson, Al Sears, Bert Keyes, Joe Benjamin, Jo Jones, Ray Bryant)[3]
- 1960: Budd Johnson And The Four Brass Giants (Riverside Records, with trumpeters Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Nat Adderley, and Harry Edison)[4]
- 1960: Let's Swing (Keg Johnson, Tommy Flanagan, George Duvivier, Charlie Persip)[5]
- 1963: French Cookin'
- 1964: Off the Wall (Argo)
- 1970: Ya! Ya! (Argo)
- 1974: Mr. Bechet
- 1978: In Memory of a Very Dear Friend (Dragon Records)
- 1984: The Old Dude and the Fundance Kid (Uptown Records, with Phil Woods)
[edit] As sideman
With Cannonball Adderley
- Domination (1965)
WIth Count Basie
- Kansas City 8: Get Together (1979)
With Gil Evans
- Great Jazz Standards (1959)
- Out of the Cool (1960)
With Bud Powell
With Carrie Smith
- Carrie Smith (West 54 Records, 1978)
With Duke Ellington and Count Basie
[edit] References
- ^ Allmusic biography
- ^ Gillett, Charlie (1996). The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll ((2nd Ed.) ed.). New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-306-80683-5.
- ^ Allmusic Blue a la Mode review
- ^ Allmusic The Four Brass Giants review
- ^ Allmusic Let's Swing review
