www.zawinulfans.org
Tour
Dates
Online
music
Scores
Weather Report
Links
Articles
Musicians
Photos
Chat
Mailing List
Guestbook
Contact us!
IMPORTANT NOTICE
You are browsing the old
www.zawinulfans.org website.
To see the new website,
click here.
"I
have nothing but the highest opinion of Joe Zawinul The
great Alphonso Johnson, the Weater Report bassplayer from
1974 to 1976, honored us with a brief interview. It's a
great privilege for us to have him as guest on our pages.
Many thanks to Alphonso for his courtesy and for his
music. Alphonso
Johnson Biography: Internationally
acclaimed Bassist and Chapman Stick artist Alphonso Johnson
has accumulated numerous performing, recording, teaching,
producing, composing and publishing credits during his
illustrious career. His touring and recording credits read
like a "Who's Who" of jazz and fusion, and he is considered
one of the topperformers in the world on his instrument. Alphonso
Johnson official biography Alphonso
Johnson Interview 1)
Mr. Johnson, thank you so much first for your courtesy in
accepting this interview. Our first question is concerning
your first approach to the electric bass. Why did you choose
to play bass? A:
Actually, I started playing the Bass Viol in elementary
school because I was the tallest boy in the class and my
teacher felt that I was the only person who could physically
hold the instrument. Later I played the bass in the
elementary school orchestra which gave me a lot of
experience in reading and playing with a large group of
musicians. 2)
Can you tell us something your first meeting with Joe
Zawinul and Wayne Shorter, and the beginning of your
collaboration with them in the Weather Report
group? A:
I first met Joe and Wayne at a concert in Philadelphia at
The Academy of Music concert hall. I was playing with the
opening act, The Chuck Mangione Quartet. After hearing me
play they invited me to come out to California to record
"Mysterious Traveller". It was an audition and after it
worked out they asked to join the next tour. 3)
When you was with the WR, what was your playing style? What
was the percentage of improvised music, and the relationship
with written music? A:
We always started rehearsals with charts but they were open
to interpretation. Sometimes the written music was just a
sketch and we were expected to embellish and improvise as
much as we wanted. Then again certain songs were very
structured and arranged. 4)
In the "Mysterious Traveler" album, you co-wrote the
"Scarlet Woman" and "Cucumber Slumber" tunes; also you
composed the great "Herandnu" on Black Market. Can you give
us some details about the genesis of these songs?
A:
Scarlet Woman was a song that I brought in that sounded very
different originally in my head. I was glad that Joe opened
up the song and realized it's potential. Cucumber Slumber
was totally improvised in the studio. It started with me
playing the bass line and the tape started rolling and the
rest fell into place. Herandnu (which means "Here and Now")
was the name of a shop in Copenhagen and I was amazed at how
that provided a section of the store for children to play
while the parents could browse. Once again Joe and Wayne saw
the potential of what I had and found the best parts and
that is what we recorded. 5)
Can you tell us something more about your decision to leave
the group? What were the causes? A:
I knew that my time with Weather Report was coming to an end
after we found Chester Thompson on drums. There was so much
time and energy spent in my first year on finding a drummer
that by the time Chester joined the band I was burned out.
So when I heard that George Duke and Billy Cobham were
putting together a new group I decided to check it out. The
potential of playing with a fusion group that featured
vocals intrigued me. 6)
What's your global opinion about the years you passed with
the Weather Report? What their impact into your playing
style and your way to make music? A:
That's a funny question because there is no doubt in my mind
that if it wasn't for Joe and Wayne that I wouldn't have
gotten the musical exposure on an international level that I
received. But if you look at the bigger picture we all are
where we are supposed to be at the right place and at the
right time because the universe is perfect. I believe that
if I hadn't joined Weather Report that some other event
would have taken place in my life and that would have been
perfect as well. 7)
What is your personal opinion about Joe Zawinul, as man, as
musician, as composer... ? A:
I have nothing but the highest opinion of Joe as a husband,
father, musician, composer and a great human being. Nobody
is perfect and I've seen Joe at his worst and at his best so
he has taught me so much through my being able to observe
him in our short time together. 8)
You played with some of the greatest jazz/fusion musicians
in the World. What is the experience that you remember more
gladly? A:
It's all good........there is no one situation that is
better than another.......it is a part of the continuing
musical journey that I've been blessed to be a part of in
this life. 9)
We are italians so... we remember your collaboration with
italian guitarist/singer Pino Daniele in the "Bella Mbriana"
recording sessions. Also Wayne Shorter played in that album.
Can you give us some particular about this experience? Can
you tell us what were the elements of that kind of music
that interested you and Shorter? A:
The thing that I remember the most about that collaboration
was seeing the joy in Ana Maria's (Wayne's wife at that
time) face when she walked through the castle at the studio
and got to pick which room they were going to stay. She was
like a queen and she seemed very much at home. Also I could
see how proud Wayne was to have his beautiful wife there
with him surrounded by royalty and it all came out in his
playing on that record. 10)
Can you tell us something about your recent experience with
Jazz Is Dead? A:
Well it's been almost two years now since I've played with
the band and I just got a call to go back out and do another
tour in March. It was interesting to play the music of The
Grateful Dead with jazz musicians and then turn around and
play that same music with the original guys in "The Other
Ones". There were so many musical phrases that we thought
were mistakes in Jazz Is Dead that I found out were actually
being played on purpose with The Grateful Dead. There were
time during rehearsals with The Other Ones that I would just
start laughing because I would remember how we played a
certain song with JID and see how different we were laying
it with TOO. 11)
What are your projects for the near future? A:
I have a new project that's called "Bombay Chill" and it has
elements of Eastern Indian music mixed with Western jazz and
r&b music. So far I have asked guitarist Prasanna
Ramaswamy, vocalist Greg Walker and drummer Walfredo Reyes
to join me. After a few false starts we now have a some time
put aside in April to get into rehearsals and start
tracking. There is some interest from a japanese lable
called Oasis but nothing concrete yet. And I have been
talking with drummer Billy Kretuzman about putting together
something with guitarist Vernon Reid.
Clicca qui per la versione
italiana di questa pagina
An
interview with
Alphonso Johnson
as a husband, father, musician, composer and a great human being"
Marco
Piretti
Alphonso
studied bass at the Philadelphia Music Academy with John
Lamb, former bassist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. His
touring career began when he was seventeen, and it was at
this time that he also began to develop his own style of
fusion music. At the age of twenty-one, Alphonso toured the
world with the Woody Herman Orchestra, with which he
recorded the album The Raven Speaks. He then joined the
Chuck Mangione Quartet and played on the album "The Land of
Make Believe." Wayne Shorter heard Alphonso with the
Mangione group and asked him to record the album "Mysterious
Traveler" with the group Weather Report. Alphonso co-wrote
two songs for the album and toured with the band from 1975
to 1976, during which time he recorded his first solo album
for CBS/Epic titled "Moonshadows."
In 1976, Alphonso became fascinated with the Chapman Stick,
a ten-stringed electric touchboard. He recorded a second
album "Yesterdays Dreams" for CBS/Epic. A year later, he
recorded his third album, "Spellbound," featuring the
Chapman Stick. In 1979, he toured the United States with the
CBS All-Stars (Tom Scott, Billy Cobham, and Steve Kahn) and
recorded a live album in England with rock artist Rod
Argent. That same year Alphonso received a Grammy Nomination
for Best R&B Instrumental for the album "Street Life"
with the group The Crusaders.
Alphonso's first film scoring attempt, which was a
soundtrack for a childrens film entitled "Sound of
Sunshine......... Sounds of Rain" in 1983, netted him
anAcademy Award Nomination for Best Animated Film. A year
later he joined Santana and with that group toured in Europe
with Bob Dylan and recorded the album "Real Live" from that
tour. Alphonso was also featured on Santana's "Beyond
Appearances" for which he co-wrote two compositions. That
group also contributed a performance to the Live Aid concert
which was simulcast around the world by satellite.
A summary of his many touring and performing credits
includes: Santana, Weather Report, The Crusaders, Bob Weir,
Chuck Mangione, George Duke, En Vogue, Wayne Shorter, Sergio
Mendes, Tony Williams, Joe Williams, and Gregory Hines.
Discography credits include albums and CD's with Woody
Herman, Weather Report, Eddie Henderson, Flora Purim, Quincy
Jones, Lee Ritenour, Phil Collins, The Whispers, John
McLaughlin, Jeffrey Osborne, Sarah Vaughan, Dori Caymmi,
Carl Anderson, and The Meeting. Alphonso has appeared on Don
Kershner's In Concert (with Weather Report), the Arsenio
Hall Show (with Santana) and the Johnny Carson Show (with
The Meeting), as well as in an MTV Video (with Jeffrey
Osborne).
Alphonso's teaching experience is as extensive and
impressive as his work in performing, recording, touring and
producing. Institutions and organizations for which he has
taught include the Mesar Hause Institute of Music in Tokyo
(Japan), the Bass School of Music in Koln (Germany), the
Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, the National Guitar
Summer Workshop, and the California Institute of the Arts.
He has conducted bass seminars and clinics in Germany,
England, France, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland,
Australia, Brazil and Argentina. In 1997 Alphonso was asked
to become the director of the bass department at The Los
Angeles Music Academy in Pasadena, California.
Alphonso
has also contributed a chapter in "The Guitar Teacher's
Handbook" published by Oxford University Press. He wrote
"The Bass Guitar," which was also published by The Oxford
University Press in 1994. In addition, he wrote a chapter in
Lessons with the Greats, which was published by DCI/Belwin
in 1993. In 1995 Alphonso was asked to become a member of
the group Abraxas, which is comprised of all the original
members of the group Santana. They released their debut
album, "Abraxas Pool," in 1997 on the Miramar recording
label. In 1998 & 1999 Alphonso toured with the group
Jazz Is Dead with Billy Cobham (Miles Davis), T. Lavitz
(Dixie Dregs) and Jimmy Herring (Aquarian Rescue Unit),
paying tribute to the late Jerry Garcia. This year Alphonso
was asked to tour with Furthur Festival 2000 and play with
former Grateful Dead members (Mickey Hart, Bruce Hornsby,
Bill Kreutzman, and Bob Weir) in "The Other Ones." They
toured this fall and will play New Year's Eve. Alphonso is
also working on a new project called "Bombay Chill" which
will feature vocalist Greg Walker (Santana), Walfredo Reyes
Jr. (Steve Winwood) and Indian guitarist Prasanna Ramaswamy.
The group should begin recording shortly and plans for a
release next year.
Copyright Embamba
Music Productions
Text and photos are courtesy of Alphonso
Johnson
by
Marco Piretti
Read
more about Alphonso Johnson
Embamba
Music Productions