Jazz Articles about Johnny Hodges

About Johnny Hodges

Radio & Podcasts

I Heart The Jazz With Strings Genre + Porgy & Bess

by David Brown
June 6, 2023

I heart the jazz with strings genre. Tonight, the most bizarre of these records, the great Johnny Hodges with Lawrence Welk's Orchestra. We then check our coats at the famed Chicago supper club Mr. Kelly's for some vocals from Sarah Vaughan and Anita O'Day. Then, after a set of new releases including Chicago's Natural Information Society and South Africa's Ahser Gamedze, we will check out a set of jazz interpretations of songs from “Porgy and Bess." Enjoy. Playlist ...

Book Review

Rabbit’s Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges

by S.G Provizer
January 21, 2020

Rabbit's Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges Con Chapman 240Pages ISBN: #9780190055288 Oxford University Press 2019 Alto and soprano saxophonist Johnny Hodges was one of the most singular voices in jazz. He didn't play the horn as much as sing through it. Hodges made a large, long-term contribution to the music, both as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and on his own. He was also a somewhat inscrutable, ...

Radio & Podcasts

Still Swinging - Ellington, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carter in the 1960s (1960 - 1966)

by Russell Perry
November 5, 2019

Duke Ellington and Benny Carter, whose careers stretched back to the 1920s, continued to be vital musical presences in the 1960s. In this hour we will hear examples of their late career work and that of two veteran Ellingtonians, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges and tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves. Swing giants in the 1960s in this hour of Jazz at 100. Playlist Host Intro 0:00 Duke Ellington Trio and John Coltrane Trio “In A Sentimental Mood" from Duke Ellington ...

Book Review

Rabbit's Blues: The Life and Music of Johnny Hodges

by David A. Orthmann
September 17, 2019

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 ...

Album Review

Johnny Hodges: Yeah...About That

Read "Yeah...About That" reviewed by Geannine Reid

by Geannine Reid
November 14, 2012

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 ...

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Extended Analysis

Johnny Hodges: Second Set

by David Rickert
November 2, 2011

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 ...

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Album Review

Johnny Hodges: The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions 1956-1961

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2001

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 ...