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George A. Johnson Jr.
various types of ethnic music. Have successfully led several bands.
Instrument:: Drums and vocals (lead) Piano
Composer
Some
Albums/CDs: Karma/Charles Ear
Loveland/Lonnie Listen Smith
Until Sunrise/Ed Wiley re-released 1996
Aroma/Abdullah Abraham released 1995
In Remembrance/Ed Wiley released 1995
George A Johnson, Jr. CDs: Turquoise Ocean released 1997 / All Star Tribute 2006
Education: Doctorate of Arts with Distinction in Music Education.
Experience:
1971-1974 Performed with Grover Washington, Jr. Held jazz workshops at
Berkeley College for Dean Anderson.
1974 Performed with Charles Ear, including the Mont Jazz Festival
in Switzerland.
1975-1979 Worked with various artists including Jimmy Garrison, Buster
Williams, Ron Carter, Lou Donaldson, Cedar Walton, Lonnie Listen
Smith, George Adams, Curtis Fuller, Johnny Hammond, Jimmy Merit,
John Thaïs and Gene Ammos. Also performed during this time with
Johnny Lunch's Big Band at Club Harlem. Advertised for Paste
cymbals and appeared in the Paste International Profiles of Drummers.
1979-1982 Performed with McCoy Tyner, including European tour, the Atlantic
City Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival and Chicago Fest.
1982-1988 Winton Morsels and Charles Ear. Numerous society functions
including Mayor Wilson Goode‚s inauguration and Frank Sumatra's
birthday party at the Golden Nugget.
1990-1995 Performed with Abdullah Abraham (Dollar Brand) including European
tour, South African tour and Japan. Played with South African
National Symphony Orchestra. Conducted workshops and master classes at
Natal University in Durban South Africa for Darius Bareback PHD and
Cape University for Renee McLean.
Conducted a workshop in New Orleans at the Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Performed with Abdullah Abraham at Montreal Festival, The Forum in London, Jazz Hamburg, Opera Leipzig, and North Sea Festival. Is an endorsee for
Paste Cymbal Company, Sonar Drum Company, Aquarian Drum Heads, Cappella Drum Sticks. Music director for Abdullah Abraham.
1995 Performed with Craig Handy, Milt Hinton, Shirley Scott, Wickliffe Gordon, Terrell Stafford and Sir Roland Hannah.
1996 Currently performing with my own band. Performed at the Mellon Jazz Festival featuring Grover Washington, Jr., featured guest drummer with Willie Williams Quartet at Cape May Jazz Festival. Performed with my own band at the Newport Jazz Festival in Bryant Park in New York. Personnel in my band: Gary Thomas, Kenny Drew, Jr., Steve Kirby
1997 First Turquoise Ocean tour, touring Germany, Switzerland, Austria. Tour was a great success. Performed with Johnny Griffin and my trio. Musicians were John Hicks piano and Steve Kirby bass. We played at the Porto Jazz Festival in Portugal. We were very well received.
1997 to Present - Performing internationally with my own band.
Awards
My Programs and Playlists for August 2006 ARTIST/Track/Album/Label * = Australian Thu 3/08/06 "Primetime Jazz" 7pm - 9pm "Mainstream - Something Old & New" 1) DAVID STRYKER/ Feelin' Good/Big City/Melbay Records 2) JIM PEARCE/Why I Haven't Got You/Prairie Dog Ballet/Oak Avenue 3) DON STIERNBERG/I Cover The Waterfront/Unseasonably Cool/Blue Night 4) CHRIS WALDEN BIG BAND/You Took Advantage Of Me/Home Of My Heart/Origin 5) PETER ZIMMER QUINTET/Woodside Blues/Burnin' Live At The Jazz Standard/Tippin' 6) LIONEL HAMPTON/Red Top/There Will Never Be Another You/Out Of Sight 7) JON CROSSE/Mary Had A Little Lamb/Kind of Blue & Pink/JazzCat 8) GEORGE jOHNSON JR/Little Man/All Star Tribute/BCS Records 9) CHUCK REDD/Li'l Darlin'/Happy All The Time/Arbors 10) CECILIA SMITH/Africa Rememberred/Dark Triumph/CEA MUSIC 11) MICHELLE NICOLLE*/Drop The Smile/What Kind Of Fool/NewMarket*** 12) DANIEL SMITH/Doxy/Bebop Bassoon/Zah Zah 13) EDDIE DANIELS/My One and Only Love/Mean What You Say/IPO 14) CLARK WOODARD & JOE FARRELL/My Funny Valentine/Woodard & Farrell/BCS 15) JONATHAN KREISBERG/Pacific/Unearth/MelBay Records 16) LARRY VUCKOVICH/Blue Bohemia Suite/Street Scene/Tetrachord *** = available at www.henk.com.au
Tags
SUMMARY: Third-generation jazz drummer George A. Johnson has been involved with some of the largest outfits in the genre. Among his long list of musical accomplishments are performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, holding jazz workshops at Berkley College, and touring the world with some of the world's most prolific jazz artists. Now head of his own group, Johnson's brand of jazz is energetic, uplifting, and solidifies his reputation for being a world-class drummer.