Alphonso Johnson

[Bob_Ross]

Ooh, an excuse to post a few of my favorite Alphonso Johnson tracks!

"Good Clean Filth" from Allan Holdsworth's much maligned Velvet Darkness album (1976 I think?). Dat bass solo!!!


"Every Tear From Every Eye" from John Mclaughlin's 1977 (or '78?) album Johnny McLaughlin Electric Guitarist. Dat bass solo!!! Dat Taurus pedals note towards the end!


"Faceblaster" from AJ's 1977 solo album Spellbound. I love his bass tone here!!!


AJ as Top-40 pop star: "Stay With Me Tonight" by Jeffrey Osborne, w/ Alphonso slapping on fretted bass (!)

 

[pdbass]

 

[jerry]

I used to play that song in bands in the early 80's, never knew it was Brian May on guitar. Jeffrey Osborne even sat in with us once, but not on that song. What a badass singer he is, I loved LTD.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I saw in an interview somewhere that Alphonso Johnson actually had to learn to slap for this song.

 

[Dincrest]

Alphonso Johnson fan here too!

I had the pleasure of meeting him at a trade show event the music store I was taking lessons at was hosting. This was back in 1994. My bass teacher (who was an elder statesman in the local music scene) introduced us. I was not even 16 and barely started playing, but that someone of Alphonso's caliber was so willing to sit down with me and just shoot the breeze about bass, music, life, and everything else... that was a transformative experience for me. From that point on, I thought that if I ever get any sort of clout, I want to be to budding bassists what Alphonso was to me in that moment. Pay it forward and all that. If young cats look up to me, I want to be someone worth looking up to. Alphonso inspired that mindset in me.

My playing is nothing like his at all, but that he inspired me to be a better bassist AND a better person makes him my biggest influence.

Musically speaking, my favorite Alphonso material is the stuff he played on Prasanna's Be The Change album. That album's blend of jazz with complex ragas from the Karnatik music of southern India is everything. My family is from southern India so I grew up with that music, I'm a primarily jazz-taught bassist, Alphonso Johnson is one of my heroes, ergo that album totally speaks to me.

 

[Clark Dark]

One of my favorite Alphonso Johnson basslines including outro
You Never Miss Your Water (till your well runs dry)

 

[DWBass]

Not to mention some pop music work. One of my favorite AJ basslines.

 

[jerry]

Smokin' band on this one:

 

[Watchootognbout]

A tune that haunted me for forty six years.
Had this on a cassette tape and used to play the bass line.
I knew it was George Duke.
But didn't know the title.


But I finally tracked it down.
Has Alph(Embamba) playing distorted bass solo at 2:44

 

[dougjwray]

I saw him once, with Billy Cobham's band in the mid-'70s, and what I remember is that his use of effects completely blew me away. Incredible.

 

[Michedelic]

Saw him with Weather Report, on a Jazz, I much prefer that era.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

No video, just great concert audio.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

No video, just great concert audio.

Listening Alphonso Johnson’s playing here, one could make the argument that he really built a foundation in Weather Report that allowed Jaco to thrive in that band. When I listen to Alphonso and Jaco, I think they were very close in terms of chops. Like Mingus and Marcus Miller, Jaco was really able to feature his bass because he was a superior composer.

 

[Les Fret]

Listening Alphonso Johnson’s playing here, one could make the argument that he really built a foundation in Weather Report that allowed Jaco to thrive in that band. When I listen to Alphonso and Jaco, I think they were very close in terms of chops. Like Mingus and Marcus Miller, Jaco was really able to feature his bass because he was a superior composer.

Jaco had much more technical chops, and I love Jaco. But I like the period with Alphonso better. Any ideas why he left Weather report? Or did he had to leave because Zawinul wanted Jaco in the band?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Jaco had much more technical chops, and I love Jaco. But I like the period with Alphonso better. Any ideas why he left Weather report? Or did he had to leave because Zawinul wanted Jaco in the band?

Zawinul wanted a change. He let Alphonso Johnson and Chester Thompson go and brought in Jaco and Peter Erskine.

 

[jerry]

Zawinul wanted a change. He let Alphonso Johnson and Chester Thompson go and brought in Jaco and Peter Erskine.

I heard a little different story, Alphonso quit to join George Duke and Billy Cobham's new band. Zawinul let Vitous go because he wanted a change to a more funk rhythm section and Wayne heard Alphonso's playing opening a show with Chuck Magione.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I heard a little different story, Alphonso quit to join George Duke and Billy Cobham's new band. Zawinul let Vitous go because he wanted a change to a more funk rhythm section and Wayne heard Alphonso's playing opening a show with Chuck Magione.

I also read where Alphonso saw Zawinul bringing Jaco around, so he figured his time in Weather Report was short, so he took the Duke/Cobham gig. Zawinul did not actually fire Johnson, but dude saw the writing on the wall.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Zawinul wanted a change. He let Alphonso Johnson and Chester Thompson go and brought in Jaco and Peter Erskine.

Before Erskine was brought in, Alex Acuna was promoted from percussionist to drummer (and Manolo Badrena was brought in as percussionist). Erskine wasn’t brought in until the next album after Heavy Weather.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Before Erskine was brought in, Alex Acuna was promoted from percussionist to drummer (and Manolo Badrena was brought in as percussionist). Erskine wasn’t brought in until the next album after Heavy Weather.

I got something wrong somewhere. Sorry!

 

[ThomAudubon]

Thanks @jerry for this post. It is memorizing as it is my first viewing of a concert performance for the Mysterious Traveler release (my 1st WR LP BTW). To see and hear Acuna and Chester Thompson with Alfonso Johnson. Killer. Very cool. Txs.