Dick Johnson (December 1, 1925 – January 10, 2010
) was an American
big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...
clarinetist, best known for his work with the
Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction.
Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...
Band.
From 1983 until his death he was the leader of the Artie Shaw Orchestra.
Born Richard Brown Johnson in
Brockton,
, he also played the
alto saxophone and
flute. Johnson worked with
Frank Sinatra, the Swing Shift Orchestra,
Dizzy Gillespie and
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his bir ...
.
Johnson died in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, Massachusetts after a short illness, aged 84.
Discography
* 1956: ''Music for Swinging Moderns'' (
EmArcy
EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company.
During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...
)
* 1957: ''Most Likely'' (
Riverside) with
Dave McKenna
Dave McKenna (May 30, 1930 – October 18, 2008) was an American jazz pianist known primarily as a solo pianist and for his " three-handed" swing style. He was a significant figure in the evolution of jazz piano.
Career
He was born in Woonsock ...
,
Wilbur Ware
Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for t ...
,
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American jazz drummer.
Biography Early career
As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio station WIP. He was ...
* 1957: ''At Newport'' (
Verve) with
Eddie Costa
Edwin James Costa (August 14, 1930 – July 28, 1962) was an American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, composer and arranger. In 1957, he was chosen as '' DownBeat'' jazz critics' new star on piano and vibes – the first time that one artist won tw ...
* 1979: ''Dick Johnson Plays Alto Sax & Flute & Soprano Sax & Clarinet'' (
Concord) with Dave McKenna,
Bob Maize,
Jake Hanna
* 1980: ''Live at Bovi's'' (Argonne) with Duke Belaire Jazz Orchestra
* 1980: ''Spider's Blues'' (Concord) with Dave McKenna
* 1981: ''Swing Shift'' (Concord)
* 1982: ''Everybody Eats When They Come to My House'' (Soap) with Razmataz
* 2004: ''Artie's Choice! and the Naturals''
* 2006: ''Star Dust & Beyond: A Tribute to Artie Shaw''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Dick
1925 births
2010 deaths
American jazz clarinetists
American jazz flautists
American jazz saxophonists
American male saxophonists
Musicians from Boston
Musicians from Brockton, Massachusetts
Riverside Records artists
Jazz musicians from Massachusetts
American male jazz musicians
20th-century American saxophonists
20th-century flautists