Got to talk with Jimmy Johnson...

AEONmw · #1 10-14-2007, 10:28 AM

I saw Allan Holdsworth last month (accompanied by Chad Wackerman and Jimmy Johnson, as usual), and I got a chance to talk to JJ after the show. He said that he's pretty much a DI guy now, in fact he didn't even have an amplifier, just straight into the house system. Also, he let me pull on his pony-tail...

StanFan · #2 10-14-2007, 01:51 PM

Cool. I didn't know he was touring with that lineup these days.

**j-raj** · #3 10-15-2007, 08:46 AM

that must have been cool, Flim is one of my favorite bassists.

DWBass · #4 10-15-2007, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j-raj

that must have been cool, Flim is one of my favorite bassists.

I agree. Jimmy Johnson is scary good! Kinda reminds me of Tom Kennedy when it comes to speed and precision! One of the first to play 5 string bass!

bottomzone · #5 10-15-2007, 09:00 AM

I believe Jimmy was the first to play 5-string and Alembic was the first to build a 5-string for him. I was blessed to attend one of his clinics back in the day. Monster player and ultra cool person!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Mojo-Man · #6 10-15-2007, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j-raj

that must have been cool, Flim is one of my favorite bassists.

Mine too.

Got to open for Holsworth, with Jimmy and Chad.
A few years back.
Great guy, very funny.

**j-raj** · #7 10-15-2007, 05:03 PM

opening up for him must have been really cool...

Here are some clips of that trio in Pittsburgh:
Pittsburgh #1
Pittsburgh #2
Pittsburgh #3
Pittsburgh #4
Pittsburgh #5
Pittsburgh #6
... also, just found this solo.

The Owl · #8 10-15-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojo-Man

Mine too.

Got to open for Holsworth, with Jimmy and Chad.
A few years back.
Great guy, very funny.

+1,000,000

Flim is one amazing musician and a great guy to boot! When I lived on the West coast, I used to go watch him play with guitarist Wayne Johnson's trio at this tiny little place in Venice called The Comeback Inn, what happened between Flim, Wayne and drummer Bill Berg was nothing short of magical!!Saw him with Holdsworth a few times and also saw him with Oz Noy in 2005 at the Baked Potato, which was mind blowing. Flim is amazing in his ability to not only adapt to nearly any musical context, but to add something uniquely his own to it. Not only that, but he is THE MOST melodic soloist I have ever heard!

DWBass · #9 10-15-2007, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Owl

........Not only that, but he is THE MOST melodic soloist I have ever heard!

I agree! I have every Flim & The BB's cd's! Some of the best ever recorded contemporary jazz, IMO!

MixBass · #10 10-17-2007, 01:53 AM

I saw them @ the potato this go around. JJ always drops the right bomb where needed while AH and Chad, Vinnie or whoever are going nuts. And his crazy register leaps are one of a kind. He's so smooth that much of his crazy stuff goes unnoticed. Good to see him getting mention.

stretchcat · #11 10-17-2007, 07:00 AM

I'm a big fan of what I have heard from Jimmy Johnson. I have some Holdsworth stuff that he's on and the Billy Childs recordings. I have never actually heard Flim and the BB's, so which one of their discs should I try to track down? Any other recommendations?

Thanks!

DWBass · #12 10-17-2007, 07:10 AM

http://www.dmprecords.com/Flim.htm

I suggest this one as it's a best of of sorts.

He's also got some stuff on some older Brandon Fields works that are masterful. Don't forget his work with James Taylor. He also played on Manhattan Transfer's 'Tonin' cd. His playing on "Along Comes Mary", on that cd, is some of the best groove playing I've ever heard! Along Comes Mary

stretchcat · #13 10-17-2007, 10:03 AM

Thanks DWBass! I'll check 'em out.

Redhotbassist · #14 11-29-2007, 03:05 PM

I got to see Allan holdsworth band last sunday at swindon centre, a really nice intimate theatre gig, i was surprised to see no rig on stage, but the sound was great, and spoke to him briefly after the gig, great player!

skb5string · #15 11-29-2007, 03:15 PM

Yep JJ is one of the masters! I really liked his work on the earlier Rippingtons Albums with Russ Freeman. 'Morocco' stands out in my mind for for some awsome playing by JJ. Great tune too!

Redhotbassist · #16 12-01-2007, 09:38 AM

Did jimmy johnson play bass on 'Midnight bell'? (off of Planet X's 'Moonbabies' album) its a great bass solo!

Redhotbassist · #17 01-20-2008, 05:52 AM

Bump.

Ian Perge · #18 01-21-2008, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redhotbassist

Did jimmy johnson play bass on 'Midnight bell'? (off of Planet X's 'Moonbabies' album) its a great bass solo!

Yes, he did. A killer album all-around. tup It's interesting that both Jimmy Johnson and Tom Kennedy had been brought up in this thread and have both played on a multitude of Planet X tracks, which IMO have made some of the best fusion albums in the last decade or so.

Redhotbassist · #19 01-21-2008, 06:49 AM

Thanks for replying, i was listening to that solo thinking.. now is that Kennedy or Johnson, but i was very much leaning toward Johnson on the chops and the tone of the bass..

Entre Nous 2007 · #20 01-21-2008, 07:10 PM

[circa 86/87] got floored by JJ for an entire show from five feet away when i caught AH (w/ gary husband on drums) at some small lecture hall at Rutgers Univ., ditched 8th period and drove up there after school with the guitarist i jammed with at the time... this was full on synth-axe for most of the set, pretty crazy.

that was a pretty badass band i had back then, i mean for a bunch of 16-17 yr. olds... we doing a passable Green Earrings [steely dan], a bunch of Rush [Xanadu, Red Barchetta, Grand Designs], and Gloria by U2, Turn it on again, yippeee...

i had the connection all figured out back then, i just didn't realize it..

green earrings... i remember..
the
rings
of
grand design..

i remember
the look in your eyes,
i don't mind

to veer things back on-topic, JJ has consistently maintained that same cerebral lumberjack look over the years... admittedly i don't listen for too long to the many killer bassists, it only makes me suck harder.