1945-1947

James P. Johnson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 14, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Allegro Corporation
• ASIN: B00001QGOS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,799 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Blues for Jimmy

2. Jersey Sweet

3. Keep Movin'

4. Jungle Drums

5. Twilight Rag

6. Jazzamine Concerto, Pts. 1-2

7. Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)

8. Aunt Hagar's Blues

9. The Dream

10. St. Louis Blues

11. Sweet Lorraine

12. Maple Leaf Rag

13. Daintiness Rag

14. Mama and Papa Blues

15. Ain'tcha Got Music?

16. Old Fashioned Love

17. I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby

18. Salee Dame

19. Mo Pas Lemme Ca

20. Les Ognons

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Jazz Piano, August 26, 2000

By 

B. D. Tutt (London, UK.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1945-1947 (Audio CD)

James P. Johnson is one of the most influential and yet largely forgotten men in the history of jazz piano. These recordings, the last in Classics eight - volume set, catch him at the end of his career, as a series of strokes undermined his health and eventually left him unable to play.

The first eleven tracks, recorded for Asch in 1945, show little sign of decline, with "Twilight Rag" and "Liza" given storming stride performances, and tracks such as "Sweet Lorraine" showing his ability to swing show - tunes. Some of these are alternative takes to those available on the Smithsonian 1942 - 1945 CD, and demonstrate Johnson's improvisational skills.

By the time of tracks 13 onwards, Johnson's health was in perceptable decline. The 1947 Circle solos still have their moments - "Mama and Papa Blues" and "Ain't Cha Got Music" are both fine performances, but "Crazy for my Baby" and "Daintiness Rag" are both inferior to earlier recordings. The four tracks with Albert Nicholas find Johnson rather miscast, while the final track, "Womens Blues", is a recently discovered recording from 1944.

Lovers of stride piano will want these performances without reservation. For others, this is not essential Johnson or the best compilation available, but contains some fine music by a neglected genius.