Randy Johnston • Hit & Run

 

Review by Ken Dryden
Randy Johnston's eighth CD as a leader features a shifting lineup of veteran musicians and a pair of solo tracks, each crafted carefully to leave a lasting impression. This talented guitarist, a Detroit native and graduate of the University of Miami jazz program, is accompanied by old friend Nat Reeves on bass, pianist Bruce Barth, and drummer Grady Tate. And on four tracks, vibraphonist Joe Locke is added. The full quintet is featured on Johnston's "Down Time," (an imaginative reworking of "Autumn Leaves"), the cooking hard bop original "Hit & Run," and the strutting blues tune "The Hat Man," while Locke takes Barth's place in the gently swinging version of "The Best Thing For You." A funky approach to the Beatles' "Things We Said Today" is a quartet chart with Barth back at the piano, which shows the influence of Grant Green in Johnston's playing. Reeves and Tate back the leader in the lush treatment of "When I Fall in Love." But Randy Johnston's superb chops can especially be appreciated with his lyrical interpretation of "Here's That Rainy Day" and "For the King," the latter a catchy original written for his girlfriend.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/hit-run-mw0000231296



Biography by Alex Henderson
An expressive, often funky hard bopper who is quite comfortable in soul-jazz settings, Randy Johnston has evolved into one of the finest straight-ahead jazz guitarists of the Baby Boomer generation. Johnston has never been an introverted sort of player; he is an aggressive, gritty, hard-swinging musician who brings a great deal of blues feeling to his work. The late Grant Green is Johnston's most obvious influence, and other guitarists who have had an impact on his playing include, among others, Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and George Benson (especially the straight-ahead recordings that Benson provided for Columbia early in his career). Blues great B.B. King's electric guitar playing has also been cited as an influence on Johnston, which isn't surprising because the Detroit native definitely knows his way around a 12-bar blues.

The guitarist was born in Detroit, MI -- a city that has given us a lot of great jazz musicians over the years -- in 1956 and moved to Richmond, VA when he was 13. At that point, he was playing rock guitar, and he was a major admirer of the seminal singer/guitarist Jimi Hendrix (who was arguably the first heavy metal artist -- he certainly had a major impact on headbangers like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Mahogany Rush, and Deep Purple). But eventually, jazz guitar -- not rock guitar -- became Johnston's primary focus. After graduating from high school, Johnston moved to South Florida and attended the University of Miami in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. During his years in Miami, Johnston often sat in when multi-hornman Ira Sullivan (originally from Chicago) held jam sessions in a Unitarian church. In 1981, Johnston left Miami and moved to New York, where he struggled for a few years but became increasingly busy as the ‘80s progressed. And by the end of the decade, Johnston had been employed as a sideman on albums by tenor saxophonist Houston Person and the late singer Etta Jones. But it was in the ‘90s that Johnston became a major name in jazz -- that was when people really started to recognize him as one of the best jazz guitarists of his generation. In early 1991, Johnston signed with Muse and recorded his first album as a leader, Walk On, which was produced by tenor saxophonist Person and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder (the most famous engineer in the history of jazz). In 1992, Johnston was reunited with Person and Van Gelder when he recorded his second Muse album, Jubilation. Muse released Johnston's third album, In-A-Chord, in 1994, and Johnston parted company with the New York-based label after that. Then, the guitarist recorded a few more albums in the late ‘90s, including Somewhere in the Night on High Note and Riding the Curve on J Curve. In the ‘90s and early 2000s, Johnston was featured on many albums as a sideman, and the jazzmen who employed him (either on-stage or in the studio) have included Person, Lionel Hampton, Lou Donaldson, Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith (not to be confused with Lonnie Liston Smith), and Philadelphia organist "Papa" John DeFrancesco (the father of organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco and the brother of guitarist Johnny DeFrancesco). Johnston's early-2000s releases include Homage on J Curve and Detour Ahead on High Note.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/randy-johnston-mn0000399004/biography

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Reseña de Ken Dryden
El octavo CD de Randy Johnston como líder presenta una cambiante alineación de músicos veteranos y un par de temas solistas, cada uno de ellos elaborado cuidadosamente para dejar una impresión duradera. Este talentoso guitarrista, nativo de Detroit y graduado del programa de jazz de la Universidad de Miami, está acompañado por su viejo amigo Nat Reeves en el bajo, el pianista Bruce Barth y el baterista Grady Tate. Y en cuatro pistas, se añade el vibrafonista Joe Locke. El quinteto completo aparece en "Down Time" de Johnston, (una imaginativa reelaboración de "Autumn Leaves"), el original de bop duro de cocina "Hit & Run", y el tema de blues pavoneándose "The Hat Man", mientras que Locke toma el lugar de Barth en la versión suavemente balanceada de "The Best Thing For You". Un acercamiento funky a "Things We Said Today" de los Beatles es un cuarteto con Barth al piano, que muestra la influencia de Grant Green en la interpretación de Johnston. Reeves y Tate respaldan al líder en el exuberante tratamiento de "When I Fall in Love". Pero las soberbias chuletas de Randy Johnston se pueden apreciar especialmente con su interpretación lírica de "Here's That Rainy Day" y "For the King", esta última un pegadizo original escrito para su novia.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/hit-run-mw0000231296



Biografía de Alex Henderson
Un expresivo, a menudo funky hard bopper que se siente bastante cómodo en los escenarios de soul-jazz, Randy Johnston se ha convertido en uno de los mejores guitarristas de jazz de la generación de los Baby Boomers. Johnston nunca ha sido un músico introvertido; es un músico agresivo, valiente y de gran swing que aporta una gran cantidad de sentimiento blues a su trabajo. El difunto Grant Green es la influencia más obvia de Johnston, y otros guitarristas que han tenido un impacto en su forma de tocar incluyen, entre otros, a Pat Martino, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, y George Benson (especialmente las grabaciones directas que Benson proporcionó a Columbia al principio de su carrera). La guitarra eléctrica del gran B.B. King también ha sido citada como una influencia en Johnston, lo que no es sorprendente porque el nativo de Detroit definitivamente conoce su camino en el blues de 12 compases.

El guitarrista nació en Detroit, MI - una ciudad que nos ha dado muchos grandes músicos de jazz a lo largo de los años - en 1956 y se mudó a Richmond, VA cuando tenía 13 años. En ese momento, tocaba la guitarra rock, y era un gran admirador del cantante/guitarrista Jimi Hendrix (que fue posiblemente el primer artista de heavy metal - ciertamente tuvo un gran impacto en los headbangers como Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Mahogany Rush, y Deep Purple). Pero con el tiempo, la guitarra de jazz - no la de rock - se convirtió en el principal objetivo de Johnston. Después de graduarse de la escuela secundaria, Johnston se mudó al sur de Florida y asistió a la Universidad de Miami a finales de los 70 y principios de los 80. Durante sus años en Miami, Johnston a menudo se sentaba cuando el multihombres Ira Sullivan (originario de Chicago) celebraba jam sessions en una iglesia unitaria. En 1981, Johnston dejó Miami y se mudó a Nueva York, donde luchó durante algunos años pero se ocupó cada vez más a medida que avanzaban los años 80. Y para finales de la década, Johnston había sido empleado como sideman en álbumes del saxofonista tenor Houston Person y de la fallecida cantante Etta Jones. Pero fue en los 90 que Johnston se convirtió en un nombre importante en el jazz - fue cuando la gente empezó a reconocerlo como uno de los mejores guitarristas de jazz de su generación. A principios de 1991, Johnston firmó con Muse y grabó su primer álbum como líder, Walk On, producido por el saxofonista tenor Person y diseñado por Rudy Van Gelder (el ingeniero más famoso de la historia del jazz). En 1992, Johnston se reunió con Person y Van Gelder cuando grabó su segundo álbum con Muse, Jubilation. Muse lanzó el tercer álbum de Johnston, In-A-Chord, en 1994, y Johnston se separó de la compañía con el sello discográfico con sede en Nueva York después de eso. Luego, el guitarrista grabó unos cuantos álbumes más a finales de los 90, incluyendo Somewhere in the Night en High Note y Riding the Curve en J Curve. En los 90 y principios del 2000, Johnston apareció en muchos álbumes como sideman, y los jazzistas que lo emplearon (ya sea en el escenario o en el estudio) han incluido a Person, Lionel Hampton, Lou Donaldson, Jack McDuff, Dr. Lonnie Smith (no confundir con Lonnie Liston Smith), y el organista de Filadelfia "Papa" John DeFrancesco (el padre del organista/trompetista Joey DeFrancesco y el hermano del guitarrista Johnny DeFrancesco). Los lanzamientos de Johnston a principios de los años 2000 incluyen Homage on J Curve y Detour Ahead en High Note.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/randy-johnston-mn0000399004/biography


randyjohnston.net ...

Tracklist:
1 - Down Time - 6:04
2 - Hit & Run - 4:42
3 - When I Fall In Love - 5:27
4 - The Hat Man - 7:40
5 - I Could Write A Book - 4:41
6 - Things We Said Today - 6:04
7 - The Best Thing For You - 5:51
8 - Here's That Rainy Day - 2:56
9 - That Old Devil Moon - 4:57
10 - For The King - 2:16


Credits:
    Bass – Nat Reeves (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
    Drums – Grady Tate (tracks: 1 to 7, 9)
    Guitar – Randy Johnston
    Piano – Bruce Barth (tracks: 1,2,4,5,6,9)
    Vibraphone – Joe Locke (tracks: 1,2,4,7)


Label: HighNote Records, Inc. ‎– HCD-7098
Released: 2002
Genre: Jazz
https://www.discogs.com/Randy-Johnston-Hit-Run/release/9095284

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