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Interviews
Marc Johnson: Sweet Tone for Sweet Tunes
R.J. DeLuke
R.J. DeLuke is an indefatigable jazz fan and arbiter elegantiarum who aspires to ultimate hipness; also an upstate NY freelance writer for various media.“ You absorb the things that you like from these players and make it your own. Now I dont even think about my influences so much. You get to a point where you just play. ”
Marc Johnson is an extraordinary musician, but recordings under his own name are infrequent. That can often be the case for people whose instrument is the contrabass. But for this musician, it seems more about making statements when the time is right.
Johnson plays exquisite bass, with the luscious tone and great harmonic and melodic expression that came to the ear of most people in jazz during his two-year tenure with the legendary Bill Evans nearly 30 years ago. Even though Johnson had been touring with Woody Herman before that, the platform of the Herd's big sound wouldn't bring any bassist into the limelight in the way it could with a trio—let alone one of the most influential trios in jazz.
Not only does he continue to play fine bass with the likes of Eliane Elias, Lyle Mays and others, but his latest recording, Shades of Jade on ECM records is remarkable, rich in composition and in its improvisational nature. And the band is superb. It could garner attention in annual "best of polls.
Johnson and Elias are the composing stars of the album, and their playing is, expectedly, outstanding. Elias is a player of uncommon intensity and invention, who can also exhibit the graceful and whimsical. Adding his tone and improvisational skills on sax is Joe Lovano, matched by the estimable John Scofield on guitar, and pushed by the musical drumming of Joey Baron. Alan Mallet adds occasional organ. They have performed with each other over the years, and the combination of writing and cohesion of the group has made it special.
"I knew I wanted to work with this group," says Johnson, who is both laid-back and intelligent. "I had it in the back of my mind to give part of the project. I know a lot her compositions from working with her for so many years, although I didn't want to do a Brazilian record. Some of her ballads are just exquisite. I wanted to play some of those things maybe she hadn't recorded or wouldn't necessarily record on her own records, for instance.
"The personnel had so much to do with the writing, in a way. Once I established the players in the band, it becomes a sound in your mind. It's part of the creative process for me when I'm conceiving of music for a band. I like to take the players and imagine what that sound could be like, says Johnson. Duke Ellington might have smiled over that.
"In fact, Eliane had written 'Ton Sur Ton' some years ago with Lovano and Scofield in mind. I had been playing with them. I did about a year of touring and recording with Scofield's quartet in the early '90s and I've known Lovano for years. Some of my first professional experience was playing with Lovano in Woody Herman's band. I've kept in touch with him over the years. We're pretty good friends.
Johnson admits he is not an obsessive composer. "I don't do a lot of composing, even as an avocation. When I have a project to do I will go to the woodshed and work on some things for a period of weeks. Sometimes when an idea comes to me I'll jot it down to develop later. I don't make a steady practice of it, like composers do. But the tunes are good. It's not a blowing session or bebop blazer, but Johnson's experience is broader than that, his musical palette more colorful. He likes the time to be more free. His songs, and those of Elias, allow for exploration of an ethereal nature at times, as well as more direct and spirited paths.
The sweet Elias ballad "Apareceu is an example of her wonderful romantic side, expressed by the whole group. "Snow and "All Yours" are serenely expressive. "Blue Nefertiti by Johnson is a hip play on the famed Wayne Shorter title cut to one of Miles Davis' great works, slipping in parts of the melody with funkier bits, which Lovano particularly has fun with. "Raise kicks the tempo up and each soloist handles it nicely.
"I don't now what's mainstream anymore. These are really great songs and there's quite a few moments of improvisation. So in that sense it's a jazz record, says Johnson. "The only piece that really isn't improvised is the last piece ("Don't Ask of Me ) where I bow this Armenian folk song. The rest of the music is structured like what I would consider mainstream jazz: head, solos and head.
"I'm so happy the way it turned out. I was calm. A lot of record dates I've done I'm nervous going into the date. This was one that I was very comfortable. I think we've reached an age where we know what we're about as players. We can trust each other completely, and we just go and have fun playing the music, then pick the best take. It came out that way.
"Eliane and I and Joey Baron (drums) are so comfortable together. I've been playing with Eliane now for 15 years or more, steadily. Those kind of things that might make you nervous going into a record session weren't there, because we're so familiar with each other's playing. We just relax and get into the music. The sessions went pretty easily.
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Marc Johnson Related
| Date | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Jun07 |
Flynn Center for The Performing Arts
Burlington, VT |
buy |
| Aug15 |
Yoshi's San Francisco
San Francisco, CA |
buy |
| Aug16 |
Yoshi's San Francisco
San Francisco, CA |
buy |
