Budd Johnson

[mikeweil]

Listen to Budd on Diz's 1951 recording of " The Champ" where Budd at the end of his solo heads for Jacquet territory...

never heard him do that anywhere else.

Like Jsngry said, he was a BAD dude. He had it all down.

[Late]

Up for reevaluation.

If Chu can receive the Mosaic treatment, surely Mr. Johnson can as well — some day?

The French Classics disc of Johnson's 1944-1952 work is fairly amazing. One of my favorites from that vast label.

Johnson has two Argo sessions on iTunes right now: French Cooking and Off the Wall. I thought I'd plunk down a simple $1.98 just to get a taste. What one track would you single out from each album as being the "best"?

[jazzbo]

I really like Under Paris Skies (but then I love that song!)

Off the Wall and Ill Wind are both really good.

But then your mileage may vary.

[Late]

Thanks, Lon. I like "Under Paris Skies" too, so that was my inclination — but wanted to check with others in case there was a killer song that I just "had" to hear.

[kh1958]

Up for reevaluation.

If Chu can receive the Mosaic treatment, surely Mr. Johnson can as well — some day?

The French Classics disc of Johnson's 1944-1952 work is fairly amazing. One of my favorites from that vast label.

Johnson has two Argo sessions on iTunes right now: French Cooking and Off the Wall. I thought I'd plunk down a simple $1.98 just to get a taste. What one track would you single out from each album as being the "best"?

From Off the Wall, Ill Wind and Playin' My Hunch are the ones I put on my ipod.

[Chuck Nessa]

Tom from Jazz Music Depot recently offered some Black & Blue cds here. Two of them were by a quintet of Budd and Charlie Shavers. I recommend both.

Budd is a "monster" on a couple of Gil Evans records.

I heard him in person a number of times. He played the Chicago Jazz Festival at least 3 times when I was involved and was a dream to work with. We had him in a Hines "reunion" big band, backing B B King and working in an all-star group. I will never forget one night relaxing in a lounge with him, Melba Liston and Randy Weston. It was "old home" time for those three.

I deeply regret not taking him up on a couple of invitations to visit his NY (Brooklyn) apartment. Such a sweet man.

[kh1958]

There's also an excellent OJC, Let's Swing.

[Chuck Nessa]

It's pictured above.

[kh1958]

Declining thread memory is yet another sign of the aging process.

[AllenLowe]

I'm too lazy to read through this to see if it has been mentioned, but there exists a very rough but listenable broadcast of DIzzy's small band (maybe 1944?) with Budd Johnson and George Wallington in which one can hear how advanced Budd was -

Edited April 9, 2007 by AllenLowe

[mikeweil]

Budd Johnson & The Four Brass Giants seems to be unavailable from the Concord site: Go get a copy as long as there are some! Edited April 9, 2007 by mikeweil

[Larry Kart]

You can see as well as hear Budd in great form on that Quincy Jones Jazz Icons DVD.

[montg]

Budd Johnson & The Four Brass Giants seems to be unavailable from the Concord site: Go get a copy as long as there are some!

Wow, this slipped away quietly. There's a beautiful 2 part song on this CD--a tribute to Lester Young. Plus, some mighty fine Ray Nance violin on 'Driftwood'. As an added bonus the sound on this CD is very nice. Concord seems to be somewhat silently letting things go oop, not even a heads up. Chuck was prophetic when he insisted a couple of years ago that Concord would never keep their catalog in the same shape as Fantasy. Too true.

[kh1958]

Budd Johnson & The Four Brass Giants seems to be unavailable from the Concord site: Go get a copy as long as there are some!

Thanks--I ordered the last amazon seller copy on their site (for only $3.99).

[Late]

Thanks--I ordered the last amazon seller copy on their site (for only $3.99).

Now you have to make your avatar have an even bigger smile.

[Peter Friedman]

Budd Johnson made a very good album for Felsted in 1958 called "Blues A La Mode". It has just been re-issued on CD by Lonehill.

The LP had Budd playing in 2 different settings. Three tunes have Budd with Charlie Shavers, Vic Dickenson, Al Sears, Bert Keyes, Joe Benjamin and Jo Jones. The other three tracks have Budd with Shavers, Ray Bryant, Benjamin and Jo Jones.

The Lonehill CD reissue also includes 4 tracks with Budd, earl Hines, Bill pemberton and Oliver Jackson.

Edited April 9, 2007 by Peter Friedman

[mikeweil]

Concord seems to be somewhat silently letting things go oop, not even a heads up. Chuck was prophetic when he insisted a couple of years ago that Concord would never keep their catalog in the same shape as Fantasy. Too true.

I was not as pessimistic, but ..... I do close the gaps in my collection slowly but surely - I ordered Budd Johnson's Let's Swing today, although that one is still in print.

[thomastreichler]

Also, if it's not too late, I'd avoid "Ben Webster and Associates." .

I must most respectfully most disgree!

I definitely am with JSngry here. IMHO "Ben Webester and Associates" is a great date, where Budd Johnson outplays Ben and Hawk; swingin' rhythm section too (Les Spann, Ray Brown, Jo Jones)

Budd Johnson is also heard to good advantage on:

"From Boogie to Funk" on Gitanes (from the Jazz in Paris series), a 1960 date led by Bill Coleman with members of the Quincy Jones Big Band, at that time touring Europe with "Free and Easy" (Quentin Jackson, Patti Bown, Buddy Catlett, Joe Harris)

"Swing Time" on Prestige Swingville under the leadership of Claude Hopkins

"Live and Well in Japan!" a live date by an All Star group led by Benny Carter on Pablo with among others Joe Newman, Cat Anderson, Cecil Payne, Nat Pierce, George Duvivier, Harold Jones

"Arvell Shaw and the Swing Legacy All Stars", a 1956 date with Taft Jordan, Vic Dickenson, André Persiany, Gus Johnson (I only have it on lp, the label escapes me at the moment)

"Jazz from a Swinging Era" on Lonehill, these are All Star sessions (1967 live and studio) under the nominal leadership of Buck Clayton

"A Buck Clayton Jam Session" and "A Buck Clayton Jam Session 1975", both on Chiaroscuro

[JSngry]

Checking out the new Basie/Birdland reissue, & Budd is sweetness al over that one.

[montg]

There's some good Budd Johnson on this Earl Hines CD (also featuring Jimmy Rushing and recorded by RVG in the 60s). The rhythm section (bass/drum,not hines) holds this session back a little, imo, but still plenty of good music.

Edited August 25, 2007 by montg

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I think I may have some Budd Johnson on R&B recordings from the forties & fifties, but that's all.

Budd is a fucking HUGE gap in my collection.

Thanks for this thread!

MG

[sidewinder]

The man can be seen in awesome form in action on that Quincy Jones DVD on Jazz Icons - where he is heavily features and basically steals the first show (Belgium TV date).

[thomastreichler]

I am just listening to a very satisfying album by Jimmy Maxwell on the Progressive label by the title of "Let's fall in love". This is top notch mainstream jazz, nicely arranged by David Berger. Budd Johnson has some great spots on tenor sax and - in one case - on clarinet. The rest of the personnel apart from Maxwell on trumpet and Johnson are: Dave Berger (tp, arr) Art Baron (tb) Kenny Berger (bars) John Bunch (p) George Duvivier (b) Ronnie Bedford (dms)

[Brad]

Just listened to The Brass Giants the other day. What a joy to listen to. Probably the first time I've listened to it since this thread started

[jeffcrom]

I discovered this thread while searching the internet for a picture of Budd's Off the Wall album, which I'm listening to now. So - Budd Johnson is special to me, because Ya! Ya! was the first jazz record I owned. I was 12 years old, and had taken up the saxophone in November, after moving to a new school. That Christmas, my mom got me this album, chosen from the cutout rack at Treasure Island department store in the Atlanta suburbs - presumably because there was a guy holding a saxophone on the cover.

I was pretty disappointed - she got my older brother a rock record. But I listened, and liked half of the tracks right away. And I blame this, my first jazz album, for my avant-garde-ish bent. On the last track of side one, "Exotique," Richard Davis plays a truly out-there bass solo, all bowed with slides and double-stops and quarter tones. I was too inexperienced a listener to know how strange it was - I just thought, "Oh, you can do that."

And the inner sleeve had tiny reproductions of 72 Argo album covers. (I'm looking at it now, and just counted them for the first time.) I pored over this sleeve for hours. I had never heard of any of these people, but somehow I knew that I needed to hear James Moody and The Jazztet and Al Grey and Yusef Lateef. And of course, I came to love the rest of Ya! Ya!, which still has an honored place on my record shelves.

Thanks, Mom.

Edited December 12, 2018 by jeffcrom