Marc Johnson (musician)
American jazz bass player, composer and band leader
Marc Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marc Alan Johnson |
| Born | (1953-10-21) October 21, 1953 (age 70) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Double bass |
| Labels | Verve, ECM, JMT, Milestone, Blue Note, Concord |
Musical artist
Marc Alan Johnson (born October 21, 1953, in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz bass player, composer and band leader. Johnson was born in Nebraska and grew up in Texas. He is married to the Brazilian jazz pianist and singer Eliane Elias.[1]
Career
At the age of 19, Johnson was working professionally with the Fort Worth Symphony, and while at the University of North Texas, he played in the One O'Clock Lab Band and was also the principal bassist in the NTSU Symphony.
In 1978, Johnson joined pianist Bill Evans in what would be Evans's last trio. Johnson toured and recorded with Evans until the death of the pianist in 1980.[1] In 2007 he released the tribute album Something For You—a tribute to Evans—together with his wife, pianist Eliane Elias.[2]
His credits since then include albums with Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Burton, John Abercrombie, Bill Frisell, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Eliane Elias, Enrico Pieranunzi, Joey Baron, Philly Joe Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Peter Erskine, Paul Motian, Steps Ahead and many others. He has also appeared as a leader of his own bands, starting with Bass Desires, a quartet that featured Bill Frisell and John Scofield on electric guitar, with Peter Erskine on drums, which gained international recognition following two ECM recordings in the mid-1980s. He also recorded two albums of his group Right Brain Patrol for JMT Records, followed by his Sound of Summer Running release on Verve. His ECM release Shades of Jade was featured in Time's October 17, 2005, issue "5 CDs That Really Swing", as one of the five top jazz releases of the season. It was selected by the Chicago Tribune as one of the 10 best jazz recordings of 2005 and also received the Danish Music Award for Best Foreign Release in 2005. It features his wife Eliane Elias on piano, Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone, John Scofield on guitar and Joey Baron on drums.[1]
As a follow-up to Shades of Jade, in 2012, the ECM recording Swept Away was released. This album is a collaboration with pianist/composer Eliane Elias. It includes Joe Lovano on tenor saxophone and Joey Baron on drums. The music consists of all original compositions. As a producer, Johnson won two Grammy Awards for co-producing Eliane Elias' albums Made in Brazil (2016) and Dance of Time (2017) on Concord Records.
Discography
As leader
- Bass Desires (ECM, 1986)
- Second Sight (ECM, 1987)
- Two by Four (EmArcy, 1989)
- Right Brain Patrol (JMT, 1992)
- Magic Labyrinth (JMT, 1995)
- The Sound of Summer Running (Verve, 1997)
- If Trees Could Fly (Intuition, 1998)
- Shades of Jade (ECM, 2005)
- Swept Away with Eliane Elias (ECM, 2012)
- Overpass (ECM, 2021)
With John Abercrombie & Peter Erskine
- Current Events (ECM, 1986)
- John Abercrombie / Marc Johnson / Peter Erskine (ECM, 1989)
- November (ECM, 1993)
With Enrico Pieranunzi
- Deep Down (Soul Note, 1987)
- The Dream Before Us (IDA, 1992)
- Untold Story (IDA, 1994)
- Racconti Mediterranei (Egea, 2000)
- Play Morricone (CAM Jazz, 2001)
- Trasnoche (Egea, 2003)
- Current Conditions (CAM Jazz, 2003)
- Play Morricone 2 (CAM Jazz, 2004)
- Ballads (CAM Jazz, 2006)
- Live in Japan (CAM Jazz, 2007)
- As Never Before (CAM Jazz, 2008)
- Yellow & Blue Suites (Challenge, 2008)
- Dream Dance (CAM Jazz, 2009)
As sideman
| With John Abercrombie
With Patricia Barber
With Michel Camilo
With Eddie Daniels
With Eliane Elias
With Peter Erskine
With Bill Evans
With Stan Getz
With Jimmy Gourley
With Woody Herman
With Andy LaVerne
With John Lewis
With Pat Martino
With Lyle Mays
With Wolfgang Muthspiel
With Enrico Pieranunzi
With John Scofield
With Toots Thielemans
| With others
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See also
United States portal
Jazz portal
References
- ^ a b c "Marc Johnson Biography". All About Jazz. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ Prasad, Anil (2008). "Marc Johnson: Underpinning genius". InnerViews.org. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
External links
- Marc Johnson on Myspace
- Marc Johnson Biography at AllMusic
- Marc Johnson at All About Jazz
- Eliane Elias/Marc Johnson review Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine on London Jazz News
- Discography at Spiral Quest
- Interview with Marc Johnson and Eliane Elias on YouTube
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Marc Johnson
- The Sound of Summer Running (1998)
- Overpass (2021)
- Two by Four (1989)
- If Trees Could Fly (1999)
- Bass Desires (1986)
- Second Sight (1987)
- Right Brain Patrol (1991)
- Magic Labyrinth (1995)
- Shades of Jade (2005)
- Swept Away (2012)
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