James P Johnson 1921 1928

James P. Johnson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Classics
• ASIN: B000001NME
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,351,862 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Harlem Strut

2. Keep Off the Grass

3. Carolina Shout

4. Carolina Shout

5. Dear Old Southland

6. Love Will Find a Way/Bandana Days

7. Weeping Blues

8. Worried and Lonesome Blues

9. You Can't Do What My Last Man Did

10. Bleeding Hearted Blues

11. Scouting Around

12. Toddlin'

13. All That I Had Is Gone

14. Snowy Morning Blues

15. All That I Had Is Gone

16. Lucy Long

17. Skiddle-De-Scow

18. Can I Get It Now?

19. What's the Use of Being Alone?

20. Original Bugle Blues

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 Twenties New York Jazz, April 15, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: James P Johnson 1921 1928 (Audio CD)

This is the first of eight volumes in the Classics re-issue of all James P. Johnson recordings released (mostly)under his own name.

Tracks 1 - 3 are piano solos from 1921, and show that the essentials of Johnson's stride piano style were already well in place. All are strong swinging performances with Johnson's trademark precision and drive. Tracks 4-6 are eminently forgettable: mediocre performances by what sounds like a theate pit ensemble. Tracks 7 - 12 are piano solos from 1923, but show Johnson in his "novelty piano" guise, sounding very similar to his contemporary piano roll performances.

The quality picks up for the second half of the CD. "Snowy Morning Blues" is a classic statement of one of Johnson's favorite compositions. Tracks 17-18 are lively trumpet / piano performances accompanying the limited singing talent of Perry Bradford. The final tracks are jazz band recordings featuring both Johnson and his pupil Fats Waller at the piano, exploiting the success they had as a duo in "Keep Shufflin'" on Broadway.

This CD isn't essential Johnson (tracks 1-3 & 14 apart) but lovers of stride piano or 1920s New York jazz will want to own it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making the Ray Bryant Connection., October 25, 2001

By 

Tom (Palatine, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James P Johnson 1921 1928 (Audio CD)

Much like the "Five Degree of Kevin Bacon," it seems that Ray Bryant can be connected to most great pianist (and virtually every other important jazz musician) pretty directly.

This one is a snap. It Seems that James P. Johnson used to earn his living (at least in the early years) playing "rent" parties in Harlem.

At bigger parties several pianists would actually compete...to the delight of the crowd. How these contests were judged I don't know, but who did he compete against? None other than Fats Waller and...BOBBIE HENDERSON, who appears with Ray Bryant on "Key One Up." Too easy.

This disc is a fabulous collection of original pieces by Mr. Johnson, most of which combine the strucure of Joplin with the entertaining goofiness of Waller.

The early cuts are pretty muted and dull sounding, (hell, it was 1921!) but the later stuff sounds surprisingly clean.

This disc, and its 22(!) cuts makes for a fabulous addtion to any piano lovers collection.