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Plays: 1310
Views: 2629 |
Official Site:
iSound Site: www.isound.com/david_f_johnson_in
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| David Johnson, jazz guitarist, arranger and composer has been a part of Cleveland Ohio's Jazz community for decades. He was influenced by music at a very young age. As a boy, he loved to listen to his parents, both members of local gospel groups, sing gospel songs for Sunda |
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David Johnson, jazz guitarist, arranger and composer has been a part of Cleveland Ohio's Jazz community for decades. He was influenced by music at a very young age. As a boy, he loved to listen to his parents, both members of local gospel groups, sing gospel songs for Sunday services.
David first picked up the guitar at age 7. By age 9, he had already become a professional musician. He played his first professional gig at the former Majestic Hotel in Cleveland at the age of 12. David stayed with the guitar until he was 14. At that time, Cleveland had very few black electric bass players so he switched. This move later landed him the job as the O’Jays' bass player in the 60s. Those times were his most memorable because he enjoyed traveling around the country with the group. David has appeared on a few of the O’Jays early albums such as “Soul Sounds” and “Comin’ Through” on the Minit and Imperial labels.
In the late 60s, David decided to pursue his love for jazz music. He first started out as the bass player for the organist and band leader, Jack McDuff. Later, he joined Roy Ayers as a member of Ubiquity in the early 70s. He was the bass player on Roy Ayers album, Virgo Red.
His experiences include playing bass guitar for Stevie Wonder, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Joe Williams, Betty Carter, Dakota Staton, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jackie Wilson, Louie Belson, The Platters, Johnny Carson's Doc Severinsen Band and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. He also appeared on the Gospel album, "God Is Knocking" by Jimmie Bell as lead guitar. He has entertained at venues such as Radio City Hall, Carnegie Hall, Village VanGuard and Town Hall in New York.
David's picture and biography appeared in a book written by Cleveland's writer, Greg L. Reese and photographer, Rodney L. Brown. The book is called “Jazzkeepers: A Pictorial Tribute and Memoir”, and it honors jazz musicians who have made a contribution to Cleveland’s jazz.
Throughout the years, David has taken all comers, working with a wide variety of musicians, although the music business, he admits, isn’t always the easiest. As David would say, "God gave me the gift to play. I don’t want to turn God down, so I have to have the strength to keep going."
David has been influenced by many great Jazz musicians such as John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley, but his musical style is similar to Wes Montgomery, who played Jazz guitar with his thumb rather than a pick which achieved the full, rich and expressive tones that are prevalent in his recordings.
David's recordings include elements of Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz Fusion and Smooth Jazz. These elements integrate the components of R&B, Blues and Gospel which has influenced David throughout his life from the child sitting in the church's pew listening to his parents sing the gospel to his experiences as a professional musician in the music industry. |
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