[78-L] Some thoughts on J.J.Johnson

[Julian Vein]

Erwin,
I thought it was more than an opinion. I tried to argue a case for my 
views. If I'd said "Johnson's playing leaves me cold" (which it doesn't 
always), then that would have been an opinion. If I say "Johnson's 
playing leaves me cold because...", then that's arguing a position.

At least Johnson doesn't enter my list of pet dislikes: Bennie Moten, 
Jimmy Rushing, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, all of whom I could 
argue a case against--perhaps not very well. If I don't like a 
performer, I need to find out why.

       Julian Vein
======================

On 03/11/12 19:34, Erwin Kluwer wrote:
>   " His expressiveness was in inverse proportion to
> his technique."
>
> That's just your opinion....
>
> Erwin
>
>
> On Sat, Nov 3, 2012 at 7:12 PM, Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>wrote:
>
>> "I really cannot imagine what attracted me to the trombone. It's the
>> most ungainly, awkward, beastly hard instrument you can imagine."
>> (Interview with Mike Zwerin, 1999).
>>
>> This is pretty insulting to those trombonists who preceded him, who had
>> no difficulty negotiating their instruments to express their ideas and
>> feelings. Players like Miff Mole, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Joe
>> Nanton, J.C.Higginbotham, Dickie Wells, Floyd O'Brien, Al Leopold, Lou
>> McGarity, Jack Jenney, Bennie Morton etc. gave no hint of strain in
>> their playing. In other words, their technique was up to the task of
>> expressing what they had to say.
>>
>> While I like some of Johnson's work, a lot of it leaves me cold.
>> Although he wasn't a flashy player, he did seem to have more technique
>> than he really needed. A couple of other players who came on the scene
>> about the same time as Johnson--Bill Harris and Bennie Green--had
>> buckets' full of ideas. I suppose he wanted to develop sufficient
>> technique to keep up with the other boppers, but faster doesn't
>> necessarily mean better. His expressiveness was in inverse proportion to
>> his technique.
>>
>> Let's not make this a "shopping list" of trombonists I've omitted--they
>> were included as examples, not as a definitive list.
>>
>>        Julian Vein
>>
>>