Howard Johnson, Legendary Jazz Tubist, Dies At 79
Howard Johnson, one of the greatest jazz tubists in the world, died on January 11, 2021, at the age of 79.
Born in Montgomery Alabama, Johnson, who played both tuba and baritone saxophone, was known as a remarkable jazz soloist, bandleader, and sideman. Moving to New York City in 1963, Johnson began working with Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, and Hank Crawford. In 1966, Johnson began a collaboration with Gil Evans on many recording projects that would last until 1988. Other artists Johnson has been associated or recorded with include Miles Davis, Buddy Rich, Freddie Hubbard, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, John Lennon, James Taylor, Taj Mahal, and B.B. King. For a more thorough listing of recordings, visit the “Discography” portion of his Wikipedia page, and his list of over 400 credits on Discogs.com.
In addition to countless session recordings, Johnson has released four solo recordings which include music with his group Howard & Gravity, a tuba ensemble that featured Velvet Brown, Dave Bargeron, Earl McIntyre, Joseph Daley, Bob Stewart, and Joe Exley. Three of those albums have appeared on Verve Records.
In lieu of flowers, it has been requested that memorial donations be made to benefit The Howard Johnson Tuba Jazz Program Fund at Penn State, an endowment that will provide a residency program for low brass and baritone saxophone musicians.
Click Here To Learn More About Howard Johnson.
Photo Sources: hojotuba.com
Last Updated: Tuesday, January 12, 2021, at 10:26 AM EST.
