pryan Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 (edited) Am currently listening to the Sonny Stitt/Zoot Sims Cadet Lp, INTER-ACTION, and John Young is the pianist. As soon as I heard his first solo, I knew I'd heard him before (it was on a Von Freeman live album). A very recognizable style, good accompanist, great soloist; he seems to use the whole keyboard. Anyways, there's not much about him on this BB, so I thought a thread would be nice. BTW, here's AMG's page for Young: John Young Edited December 9, 2004 by pryan Quote
JSngry Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 I can't tell you right off hand how many records I've got w/John Young on them, but it's more than a handful, and he's a gas on every one of them. Totally got his own style, yet it seems definitively "Chicago", if that makes any sense. Just as Von Freeman embodies the "Chicago Tenor Sound", I think that John Young does the same for piano. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 9, 2004 Report Posted December 9, 2004 John joined the Andy Kirk band in 1943 and stayed a couple of years. Fats Navarro, Howard McGhee and Jimmy Forrest were in the band at the time. John is a delight. Quote
pryan Posted December 13, 2004 Author Report Posted December 13, 2004 Up. Perhaps not many people know of John Young? Chuck - Is Young on those Von Freeman albums that you produced? Jim - Can you give me some recommendations? Anyone else with comments, etc. on John Young please chime in (Larry Kart, maybe?). Quote
Dan Gould Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 When I interviewed Eddie Higgins, I actually played a cut from that Inter-action album, "My Blue Heaven," and when Young took his solo, Eddie was laughing the whole time. I remember the liners refer to Young's "controlled raucousness" or something like that. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 Yes, John is on both of my Freeman cds. I also used him on my Eddie Johnson record - not on cd yet, but still available on vinyl. Quote
sidewinder Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 John Young is also on that Atlantic Von Freeman session - 'Doin' It Right Now'. I like his piano playing on this one very much. Quote
DMP Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 His "Argo" album "Touch of Pepper" was out in Japan in that "mini-LP" format. I picked it up pretty cheaply in one of those "Red Trumpet" weekend sales. Nice, solid trio date. Quote
JSngry Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 John Young is also on that Atlantic Von Freeman session - 'Doin' It Right Now'. I like his piano playing on this one very much. A good friend has sent me a bunch of live Von material, and Young John Young is on a whole bunch of it, much to my delight. I dig the guy's slyness, how he seems to be one of thee guys who watches and hears everything and everybody, and then coments on it allwhen he plays. Nothing has passed him by. I wonder - is he old enough to have heard Earl Hines from the Grand Terrace days? I ask because there seems to be a lot of Hines in his "attitude", and, more specifically, some of his devices, notably the way he'll repeat a right hand pattern while playing stabbing melodies with his left. For that matter, Hines seems to have had an impact on many of the Chicago pianists who came up in Young's era and slightly after - that whole "trumpet style" right hand and such. But I'm no expert on this, so maybe I'm wrong. As for recommendations, I honestly couldn't tell you what all I've got/heard with him on it. All I can say is that if John Young is on it, check it out. He's on a fair amount of Delmark thiings over the years, and Argo/Cadet (I think). Plus, he's on some of that Dex/Jug THE CHASE thing, which is "essential" for anybody even remotely into that kind of thing. Bottom line - if you start hunting around for records with John Young on them, you'll inevitably end up hearing a great variety of the best that Chicago has had to offer over the last 50 or so years, which is to say some of the best that jazz has had to offer. Quote
JSngry Posted December 13, 2004 Report Posted December 13, 2004 I also used him on my Eddie Johnson record - not on cd yet, but still available on vinyl. He's also on Johnson's new Delmark side. And that vinyl is not to be missed by fans of big-toned old-school tenor. Recommended. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 14, 2004 Report Posted December 14, 2004 I wonder - is he old enough to have heard Earl Hines from the Grand Terrace days? I ask because there seems to be a lot of Hines in his "attitude", and, more specifically, some of his devices, notably the way he'll repeat a right hand pattern while playing stabbing melodies with his left. For that matter, Hines seems to have had an impact on many of the Chicago pianists who came up in Young's era and slightly after - that whole "trumpet style" right hand and such. But I'm no expert on this, so maybe I'm wrong. The strong Hines influence is correct. As I said, he joined Andy Kirk's band in '43, so that makes him old enough. Quote
blajay Posted December 21, 2008 Report Posted December 21, 2008 Up. I'm listening to the Touch of Pepper LP on Argo-Cadet I got from Dan, and I love it. I first heard John Young on one of Chuck's Von Freeman LPs, and thought, damn I gotta get something with him as a leader. I highly recommend this one. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 21, 2008 Report Posted December 21, 2008 I also used him on my Eddie Johnson record - not on cd yet, but still available on vinyl. He's also on Johnson's new Delmark side. And that vinyl is not to be missed by fans of big-toned old-school tenor. Recommended. Well, I've missed them! But glad to hear about them now. Chuck, what's the score on your Eddie Johnson album? CD, LP or zilch at present? MG Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted December 21, 2008 Report Posted December 21, 2008 Chuck, what's the score on your Eddie Johnson album? CD, LP or zilch at present? MG Have not issued it on cd yet. Not sure if I have one or two lps left. On the road so I can't check now. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted December 21, 2008 Report Posted December 21, 2008 Chuck, what's the score on your Eddie Johnson album? CD, LP or zilch at present? MG Have not issued it on cd yet. Not sure if I have one or two lps left. On the road so I can't check now. No rush, Chuck. I'll PM you after Christmas. MG Quote
rpklich Posted December 22, 2008 Report Posted December 22, 2008 Joe Segal used him quite a bit backing visiting musicians at the Jazz Showcase in the late 60s, 70s and part of the 80s. He was pretty much the house pianist. In that context I heard him quite a bit. Quote
Peter Friedman Posted December 23, 2008 Report Posted December 23, 2008 The John Young Trio session titled "Serenata" was reissued on a Delmark CD. It has Victor Sproles on bass and Phil Thomas on drums. Quote
ghost of miles Posted March 11, 2010 Report Posted March 11, 2010 Up. I'm listening to the Touch of Pepper LP on Argo-Cadet I got from Dan, and I love it. I first heard John Young on one of Chuck's Von Freeman LPs, and thought, damn I gotta get something with him as a leader. I highly recommend this one. I'll double the rec for A TOUCH OF PEPPER. Probably going to use a cut off this for the upcoming Night Lights "Chicago Calling" sequel. Quote
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted March 29, 2010 Report Posted March 29, 2010 Just found another John Young session I'd forgotten about. T-Bone Walker recorded in Chicago for Atlantic on 21 April 1955 and the band was Goon Gardner, Eddie Chamblee, McKinley Easton, Young, Ransome Knowling and Leroy Jackson. Real nice band. The material is on the album "T-bone Blues". MG Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Listening to the session tapes of Eddie Johnson sessions I was struck by John's playing again. What a slick player, in the best sense. I miss both of them. Too many dead people on my label. Quote
JSngry Posted April 9, 2010 Report Posted April 9, 2010 Shoulda' thought about that before you recorded them... Quote
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