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Classic James P. Johnson Sessions (#262)
Mosaic Records Limited Edition Box Set
Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Willie “The Lion” Smith and , of course, Fats Waller, knew about James P. Johnson, regarding him not only as their musical father but also as the “greatest pianist in jazz.” Later, even modernists like Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell would admit to his influence. – Bob Hilbert, liner notes for Mosaic Records MD4-109
Release Date: Mid-December
Limited Edition: 5,000 copies
6 CDs – $102.00
Eclipsed, Forgotten But Starting Now—Revered As A True Original
He wrote „Charleston.“ You know, that song you hear anytime you ever see anyone dancing the Charleston.
He was Bessie Smith’s and Ethel Waters‘ favorite accompanist, with a particular knack for throwing in beguiling fills he conceived in the moment, much to the singers‘ delight.
He was a surrogate father and teacher to Fats Waller. Try getting any notice for yourself after taking that showman under your wing!
But first and foremost, James P. Johnson was one of the most important, if not THE most important, stride pianists, a style that developed in New York in the 1920s and the first music that sounds like what we call jazz. It was more rhythmically complex than anything before it. More harmonically challenging. More exuberant and crafty. Stride was also more than the music. It was a challenge to the musicians who gathered at Harlem cutting contests determined to conquer its intricacies, and to conquer each other. And because of its invitation to create and improvise, it was a platform at last for self-expression.
Johnson also wrote popular and theatrical music, symphonies, concertos, ballets, operas, plus a wide number of smaller pieces like sonatas and a string quartet. In fact, his wide interests and talents gave reason for some to call him a jazz sell-out, and discount his contributions. For decades, Johnson was all but forgotten.
Mosaic, The Antidote to „Forgotten!“
Mosaic first presented James P. Johnson in the record company’s earliest years, that focused on the six sessions he recorded for Blue Note. (That set is sold out, and never to be released again.) But there has never been a comprehensive set that chronicles James P. Johnson’s contributions to jazz from the beginning of his career, almost from the beginning of jazz itself. Until now.
„Classic James P. Johnson Sessions 1921- 1943“ compiles all the sessions led by Johnson originally released on OKeh, Columbia, Bluebird, Victor, Signature, Pathe and Vocalion, plus sideman sessions where he solos significantly or contributes something noteworthy. On six CDs, it shines the light on every facet of his talent, including his stunning work with blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Lavinia Turner, Ethel Waters, Ida Cox and more.
James P. Johnson was fortunate to come along at a time when music was in transition, born into a family that encouraged his musical gifts.
The Birth of Stride
He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1894, and as a child learned his first simple piano songs from his mother. A later move to New York exposed him to real musicians and to formal classical training, which Johnson pursued for decades into his adult life.
Willie „The Lion“ Smith. Ragtime was popular. Johnson added his influences. As a boy, he used to watch from the top of the stairs as his mother and her Southern relations performed „ring shouts“ in the living room. He added some of those distinctive rhythms. Also, he incorporated what he called „concert effects,“ a technique that employed a lot more of the piano than ragtime used, to fill out the sound and make it more orchestral.
A word or two on the distinction between ragtime and stride, to underscore what every player in jazz owes to Johnson:
Ragtime vs. Stride
Ragtime was earlier. It was primarily a repertoire of songs composed, learned, and performed. Ragtime’s broken, ragged rhythm pointed to future musical innovations that would be called jazz because syncopation was at the heart of it, but ragtime was neat and tidy, and the piano needed to be freed before jazz could develop.
Stride was that next important step. It was louder and faster, more aggressive. Still largely a piano music, stride used the whole keyboard, not just the middle four octaves, as performers „walked“ up and down the keys with the left hand. There was still that „oom-pah“ bass line, derived from black march music and layered with counter rhythms, typical of music from African roots. But stride was less controlled and less structured than ragtime – more jazz-like – in all ways. If ragtime was a repertoire, stride was a way of playing. You could play popular music of the day in stride. You could play songs from musicals in stride. And you could improvise. That was the big one. Stride allowed more danger and personality. And while many stride pianists played their own signature figures over and over, improvisation was something James P. was particularly known for.
He was especially appreciated by singers he accompanied, who loved the way he punctuated the lyrics. The very first Johnson recordings where you can actually hear the piano were made with Lavinia Turner, and they are on this Mosaic set. On another Lavinia Turner session, he places something new and original in every vocal break.
You’ll also find his very first recording of „Carolina Shout,“ which became a staple of the stride tradition. You can hear echoes of rags and dance-oriented pieces that were popular, the call-and-response of ring shout, and other borrowings, but the improvisation and sheer breadth of his expression was completely unknown before him.
He made 14 sides and a movie with Bessie Smith, including her most famous piece, „Back Water Blues.“ He wasn’t known especially for blues, but what Johnson was doing was laying down the rulebook for all jazz accompanists that followed him.
An Experimental Session
Included also are „Snowy Morning Blues,“ one of Johnson’s most successful recordings, as well as a session by the Louisiana Sugar Babes, which was really Johnson, Fats Waller at the organ, Jabbo Smith on cornet, and Garvin Bushell on clarinet, alto saxophone, and bassoon. Bushell and Smith were in the pit orchestra of the show „Keep Shufflin'“ with Waller and Johnson, and these recordings have attained nearly legendary status for the rare opportunity to hear the creators of the music performing the tunes, with experimental instrumentation, recorded in a venue (the former Trinity Baptist Church in Camden) known for its exceptional sound quality.
There are so many gems on this set, far too many to list here, including solo work, ensemble work, Johnson accompanying singers by himself and with ensembles, small band sessions, and well as his important work as a sideman with King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Teddy Bunn and Spencer Williams, Mezz Mezzrow, and more.
The package comprises 158 tracks, including eleven never before released. Our exclusive Mosaic booklet features a session-by-session analysis by Scott Brown and many photos that are rare and delightful to see. There is also the most complete discography ever of James P. Johnson’s important early work.
Sadly, most of his compositions in the classical style are completely lost. We are extremely proud of our opportunity to present his jazz recordings for an audience determined to preserve his legacy.
Quelle:
http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=262-MD-CD&utm
Diskographie zur Box, von ebenda:
http://www.mosaicrecords.com/discography.asp?number=262-MD-CD&price=$102.00&copies=6%20CDs
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"Don't play what the public want. You play what you want and let the public pick up on what you doin' -- even if it take them fifteen, twenty years." (Thelonious Monk) | Meine Sendungen auf Radio StoneFM: gypsy goes jazz, #163: Neuentdeckungen aus dem Katalog von CTI Records (Teil 2), 13.5., 22:00 | Slow Drive to South Africa, #8: tba | No Problem Saloon, #30: tba