BUDD JOHNSON
Let's Swing (Swingville/OJC)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

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Most of us are fairly experimental when we're young, trying new things until we find a style that fits. As we age, we tend to fall back on approaches that work. The same often applies to musicians. Not Budd Johnson. He began playing jazz in the 1920s and made his first recordings with Louis Armstrong's big band in 1932. Over the years, Johnson played with Earl Hines, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie and many others. His tenor playing was versatile enough to play in big bands or in small groups. For instance, he played with Coleman Hawkins on the first recorded bebop sessions in 1944. However, one thing was certain: Budd Johnson could always swing regardless of the context.

Lets Swing, recording in 1960, featured Johnson on tenor saxophone, his brother Keg Johnson on trombone, the great Tommy Flanagan on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. Budd's playing on his three originals and four standards was warm, melodic, and expressive. Each song is a gem! From the opening track, "Serenade In Blue", which he begins unaccompanied to the closing number "Uptown Manhattan," Johnson never lacks for imaginative things to say. All his solos are extraordinarily inventive. My two favorite numbers are the classics "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "Falling In Love With Love." Definitive jazz that lingers long after the cd ends.

Let's Swing belongs in every serious jazz lover's collection. Its a mystery to me why Johnson recorded so few sessions as a leader. A critic once wrote that Johnson "had one of the longest, most varied, most interesting, and least recognized (in proportion to accomplishment) careers of any major jazz musicians." Sad, because he was one of the greatest tenors of all time, with a sound that was simultaneously relaxed yet passionate. Budd refused to rest on his laurels, and the results are impressive.

© 2000 - Ron Saranich