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Jazz Articles about Johnny Hodges
Rabbit's Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges
by David A. Orthmann
Rabbit's Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges Con Chapman 218 ISBN: #978-0-19-0655390-3 Oxford University Press 2019 It's difficult to fathom the existence of a jazz musician in the position of a featured soloist of an internationally recognized large ensemble, year in and year out, for decades, making a good living and deriving a fair amount of artistic satisfaction from this endeavor, as well as consistently receiving kudos from peers, critics and ...
Continue ReadingJohnny Hodges: Yeah...About That
by Geannine Reid
The funky, jazz-focused Yeah.....About That brings to mind the sounds of the early Brecker Brothers. Groove seems to be the primary focus of this nine-song CD from the mind of Oklahoma City native, Johnny Hodges. Hodges started playing the trumpet by the end of his fifth grade year, going on to help his high school jazz ensemble win the state competition three out of the four years he was in high school which enabled him to attend Central State University ...
Continue ReadingJohnny Hodges: Second Set
by David Rickert
Johnny Hodges Second Set Avid Records 2011 Alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges left Duke Ellington's band in 1951 feeling underappreciated and underpaid and convinced that he would have better luck on his own. Unfortunately he was never able to turn his considerable artistry into a lucrative career, and was back with Ellington in a few years for good. Working with Ellington was definitely where he belonged; his fluttering, gusty sound was one of the benchmarks ...
Continue ReadingJohnny Hodges: The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions 1956-1961
by C. Andrew Hovan
You know, things just ain’t what they used to be. There was a time when the average blue-collar worker could stay with a job 30 or 40 years without so much as a care. The same held true for many musicians who happened to be caught in the orbit of Duke Ellington’s mercurial jazz institution. For Johnny Hodges, the Ellington band provided the alto sax legend’s bread and butter for much of his natural life. First, there was the 22 ...
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