Reggie Johnson (musician)

Volney Reginald " Reggie " Johnson ( born December 13, 1940 in Owensboro, Kentucky) is an American jazz bassist who moves in many jazz styles.

Johnson played first trumpet in the school orchestra and in military bands and joined with 21 years for bass. He played with avant-garde jazz musicians such as saxophonist Bill Barron, and Archie Shepp ( " Fire Music " 1965) and 1964 /5 with Bill Dixon ( he was involved in New York at the concert series "October Revolution in Jazz" ), Sun Ra and Burton Greene. In 1966 he played with the Jazz Messengers by Art Blakey, the then Keith Jarrett and Chuck Mangione belonged. In the 1960s he recorded with the " Jazz Composer's Orchestra", and then mainly to act as club and studio musician with Elvin Jones, Andrew White and Johnny Coles. In 1970 he played with the quintet of Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land. From 1973 to 1978 he accompanied the guitarist Kenny Burrell. He also took with Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Clark Terry, Blue Mitchell, the " Crusaders " and the singers Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, and in the 1980s with Horace Parlan, Frank Wess (1982 ) and the " Mingus Dynasty band "( also 1982). In 1985 his first album " First Edition " (JR Records) under his own name. The mid-1980s he moved to Europe, where he has since, inter alia, Johnny Griffin, Monty Alexander, Kenny Barron, Tom Harrell, Phil Woods, Vince Benedetti and Cedar Walton accompanied and in Bern at the Swiss Jazz School has been a lecturer. As an actor he worked, inter alia, to 1986 in Oliver Stone 's film " Platoon" in the role of "Junior".

Lexigraphic entries

• Martin Kunzler, Jazz Encyclopedia Vol 1 Reinbek 2002 ISBN 3-499-16512-0