Clarence Johnston

American jazz drummer, Born 24 October 1925 Boston, Massachusetts to 17 May 2019 Burbank, California. Often misspelled "Clarence Johnson". In 1971, Clarence Moved to Los Angeles, CA, and decided to become a drum mentor to students at Grant's Music School, on the westside, where he has helped lead countless pupils to jazz stardom. His devotion to music students created in them many loyal admirers of his work, and these profound musicians have maintained strong ties with clarence, visiting him frequently at his numerous appearances. Some of his most successful students, including clayton cameron, willie jones iii, raymond pounds, ralph johnson, fritz wise, and indugo chancelor, credit 'c.J.' for his influential teaching; according to cameron, clarence johnston was pivotal in helping him to stay focused on music, enlisting cameron's appreciation for tone and style. Similarly, wise attributes his sight-reading skills and dexterity on the instrument to c.J.'s teaching. Clarence johnston has also conducted many seminars at educational establishments across the united states, including: georgetown college, utah state, hampton state college, n.C. State and s.C. State universities and pennsylvania state university. Clarence's focus on melody and tone has set him aside from other drummers, earning him a reputation as a first-class musician, teacher, and recording artist. Having performed regularly at over four dozen of the country's most respected jazz establishments, and having been invited on countless jazz tours throughout the world, clarence "C.J." johnston's name has become mainstream for his undeniable artistry and musical accomplishments. KYLE ANDREWS: Though his name comes up fairly rarely, Johnston worked with many big names including James Moody, Joe Williams, Freddie Roach, Jimmy Forrest, and Sonny Stitt. Most folks know him from the album Ben and Sweets by Ben Webster and Harry “Sweets” Edison (originally released as “Wanted to Do One Together”). If you don’t own this record, change that. (And yes, I mean own it as in go out and physically buy it, but that’s a rant for another day.) I found this record when I was in college, and within the first 8 bars I was sold. Ben Webster and Sweets Edison are associated with the swing era, but here they get to shine in a small ensemble setting backed by Johnston, Hank Jones, and George Duvivier. Their melodic language lies in the cracks between swing era and bebop - a divide that I find super interesting. The band grooves in a way that is very dance oriented, but not at all stiff. There’s plenty of room for improvisation and expression, but the beat is like a damn Mack truck. Below is the first track of the album. I want to point out a few things about Johnston’s playing that I feel like a lot of folks take for granted. His cymbal beat. As soon as the track starts you’ll notice he’s either leaving the skip beat out or playing it very softly. The effect is a very forward leaning quarter note that along with Duvivier’s pulse is just unbelievable swinging. This is a perfect example of what people mean when they say something is “tipping”. And please also notice that this feeling never wavers from start to stop. He has the focus and control and understanding that he doesn’t go reaching for some fills or snare drum chatter that would distract from the beat. We could all stand to do a lot more of this type of playing. His snare/bass drum playing. If, like me, you primarily listen to bebop or modern jazz drummers, it would seem at first listen that Johnston isn’t playing anything outside of the cymbal beat. He’s just playing time and leaving Hank Jones space to comp. However, if you listen carefully (and with good speakers) you’ll hear all sorts of chatter going on between the snare and bass drum. The bass drum is feathering with an occasional accent, and the snare drum is used primarily to reinforce the cymbal beat. (Also note how big the bass drum sounds. I’d bet money it’s no smaller than 20” and probably has a calf skin head.) People get the idea from independence books that snare drum notes are an independent voice, but that’s not at all true. They should be an integrated part of your groove that strengthen the swing, not distract from it. His interaction with the bass. Listen for moments when Duvivier starts playing upbeats and see what Johnston does. Subtle and sophisticated and always swinging. That’s it for now. Please dig into this record and play along with it; it will do wonders for your swing! If this record doesn’t put a smile on your face, I feel bad for you. Ben Webster & "Sweets" Edison: Wanted To Do One Together 1962. Track selection : Better Go. 8:59