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

[Taylor Bowie]

Julian,

You forgot to mention Joe Haymes in your list of pet dislikes...or have you 
come around on him?  :-)

Taylor


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julian Vein" <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2012 1:18 PM
Subject: Re: [78-L] Some thoughts on J.J.Johnson


> 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
>>>
>>>
>
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