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Jef Lee Johnson (and the Wordy Mimes): Hellion
ByThe man has made good on his word since that statement, releasing five recordings under his own name and guesting on the three-disc acid-funk opus Minneapolis We Insist by Michel Portal and Ben Schachter's ultra-taut combo Nothingman.
Although Jef Lee could and should make a recording of jazz standards, and he's also known as a Downtown experimentalist, his solo releases feature his vocal, pop-rock-funk side, spurring writers to reference Hendrix, then go beyond. Funny, that's just what he does. It's not just the sometimes uncanny similarities of the vocal style and the guitar pyrotechnicsit's that soul, that utter rootedness to the earth, that comes through in even the most unlikely, far-out places.
"Disconnected, for example, most strongly recalls Steely Dan's plush vocal harmonies and airy altered chords. But there's a church-full more gospel and grease in his self-made chorus of vocals than Becker and Fagan could ever hire at triple-scale, let alone the badass blues inflections of his slippery strat that frankly, leaves the Dan's army of guitar sessioneers in the dust.
For a more direct Jimi reference, check the title track, the eleven-minute psychedelic closer, ..."revolutionmumbojumbo, or "Children of the Sonic Soul. The latter is a sprawling six minutes featuring lyrics of allegiance to a cosmic alliance over a sonic solar system of his own creation, pierced with laser-like, frizzle-fried, fluent improvisations. How is this the same guy who follows with a pristine two-minute pop song containing rhyming couplets drenched in existentialist philosophy?
I been gone so longThe crystalline snap-and-pop chicken-pickin' solo that follows is every bit as compactly erudite as the lyric.
that far is here to me
if I keep keeping on
what will I see
But I'm okay with that
jump back begin again
cause where you dropped me off
this is where I came in.
While Jef Lee Johnson may not yet enjoy broad-based recognition, his willingness to share his most personal and painful experiences should go a long way to getting him there. He humorously summarizes the yin and yang of existence by singing:
What happened to what's his nameThis analogy could be applied to his musically split personas as well. The thing is, all of them are amazing.
I should know 'cuz I'm the same
not his brother but some other me
Half not so half-crazy
my memories a bit hazy
but don't bother, it's just some other me.
Track Listing
1. it usually slides open, 2.NONE FOR NONE, 3.Heavy Rain, 4. Children of the Sonic Soul, 5. this is Where i came in, 6.Some other me 7. Hellion, 8.Sizzlean, 9.CAKE, 10.Disconnected, 11.Perfect Peace, 12. MADE YOU LOOK, 13.people talk, 14. this is not jazz,too, 15.Six inches, 16.i like, 17. Y'allness, 18. Go Down, 19. Here She Come, 20. own little world, 21. hurt, 22. This is not jazz/the tarzan precept/ revolutionmumbojumbo
Personnel
Jef Lee Johnson
guitarJef Lee Johnson- everything
Album information
Title: Hellion | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Dreambox Media