Budd Johnson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Albert J. Johnson(born December 14, 1910 in Dallas, Texas; died October 20, 1984 in Kansas City, Missouri) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist best known as a "behind-the-scenes player" and writer. He is generally known as "Budd Johnson."
He initially played drums and piano before switching to tenor saxophone. In the 1920s he performed in Texas and parts of the Midwest, working with Jesse Stone among others. Budd Johnson had his recording debut while working with Louis Armstrong's band in 1932-1933, but is more known for his work with Earl Hines. It is contended that he led Hines to hire "modernists." He was also an early figure in the Bebop era doing sessions with Coleman Hawkins in 1944. In the 1950s he led his own group. In the 1960s he worked with Quincy Jones, Count Basie and worked on Out of the Cool with Gil Evans. In the mid-1960s he began working again with Hines. His association with Hines is the longest lasting and arguably most significant.
In 1975 he began working with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993.
