Johnny Griffin

Among the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Johnny Griffin can decrease in the history of jazz like a performer easily in a position to negotiate the tricky harmonic adjustments and swift tempos of contemporary music. He’ll also become remembered as a new player who could masterfully interpret sensitive ballads, rivaling Ben Webster for the reason that respect. Created John Arnold Griffin III in Chicago, Illinois, on Apr 24, 1928, he resided for the South Part of the next City along with his mom, who was simply a vocalist, and dad, who performed cornet. A teenager Griffin noticed Gene Ammons play in the big music group of Ruler Kolax. 2 yrs later he found an alto saxophone, and quickly thereafter was dealing with bluesman T-Bone Walker. Students at DuSable SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, he was tutored from the famous band movie director Captain Walter Dyett. Upon graduation, he toured with Lionel Hampton’s big music group, switched towards the tenor sax, and shifted to NEW YORK. The past due ’40s noticed Griffin honking his talk about of R&B with Joe Morris as much as 1950, alongside the music group of Jo Jones in 1950, along with Arnett Cobb in 1951. He enlisted within the equipped solutions stationed in Hawaii, and performed in an Military music group. After his armed service commitment, he came back to Chicago and was together with Thelonious Monk’s different ensembles up to the middle-’60s. Griffin trim his Blue Take note album Presenting Johnny Griffin in 1958, which year produced a sextet with Detroiters Pepper Adams and Donald Byrd. He collaborated with pianists Bud Powell and Elmo Wish, was enlisted by Artwork Blakey briefly as an associate from the Jazz Messengers, energized his single recording profession for the Riverside label, and attained his nickname, THE TINY Giant, with this eponymously entitled LP in 1959. His most well-known and well-known teaming was with fellow saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Griffin also documented the renowned A Blowin’ Program for the Blue Be aware label with John Coltrane and Hank Mobley. But Griffin grew weary from the U.S. and its own apathy relating to jazz, therefore he became an expatriate. He was surviving in Paris, France, by 1963, and do many albums with Western european rhythm areas for the Storyville, Dark Lion, and Steeplechase brands. He was also a charter member and key soloist for quite some time within the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Music group alongside American and Continental standouts. The entire year 1975 was a significant one for Griffin, who was simply featured using the rings of Dizzy Gillespie and Count number Basie as noted in recordings of the sets on the Montreux Jazz Celebration. He also collaborated with German saxophonist Klaus Doldinger and his fusion music group Passport. In the past due ’70s, Griffin came back towards the Areas to record for the Galaxy label, and toured with fellow expatriate tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon. He remaining Paris for the countryside of holland to go on a plantation, then going to the Côte d’Azur in 1980, and in 1984 to rural Availles-Limouzine. In 1986 he was an associate from the Paris Reunion Music group with Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Slip Hampton, and Kenny Drew, producing one recording for the Sonet label. During his amount of time in France, Griffin documented for the Antilles and Verve brands, including The Kitty in 1991 and Chicago, NY, Paris in 1994. For the weeks of his birthday, Griffin produced regular appearances in the Jazz Display back in Chicago. In his old age he collaborated with pianist Martial Solal and saxophonist Steve Grossman. Griffin passed on at age group 80 on July 25, 2008, at his house in Availles-Limouzine.