James Price Johnson Bridges Ragtime to Swing Jazz

James Price Johnson

Source: Last.fm

Born on 1 February 1894 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, composer James Price Johnson developed a reputation along the East Coast as a great pianist in the twenties due largely to producing piano rolls. Not to be confused with his contemporary, J. C. Johnson (Jay Cee Johnson), this Price well represents a bridge from latter ragtime to early jazz toward swing via stride piano which he originated. Others who employed stride as a better approach to making rhythm than standard rag include Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Earl Hines, Luckey Roberts, Willie Smith, Mary Lou Williams and Thelonious Monk.

Johnson began his career of making piano rolls in 1915 for Aeolian [Womack]. Dissemination is assumed but not known. Other authorities prefer Johnson's first rolls in 1916 or 1917. It was 1916, however, when Johnson joined the US Army toward duty in France during World War I. Bill Edwards [below] has him producing piano rolls while in the Army, he receiving his discharge in 1919 toward punching paper for Imperial, Perfection, Universal, Artemp, Metro-Art and QRS. Johnson would produce more than 400 piano rolls well into the forties. His early rolls were specimens of ragtime:

'After Tonight'   Ragtime piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded June 1917 in Orange NJ   Composition: Johnson

Issued per Perfection 87020   See the compilation Biograph BLP1009Q

'Daintiness Rag'   Ragtime piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded July 1917   Composition: Johnson

Issued per Universal 203107   See the compilation Biograph BLP1009Q

'Caprice Rag'   Ragtime piano roll by James P. Johnson

Composition: Johnson

Issued per Artempo 12415 in September 1917

'Carolina Shout'   Ragtime piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded Feb 1918 in NYC   Composition: Johnson

Issued per Artempo 12975   See the compilation Biograph BLP1009Q

The mechanical nature of piano rolls necessarily tempered Johnson's inclination to jazz things up as only recordings could capture. His initial acoustic 78 rpm tracks are thought to have gone down in 1921, Johnson now developing stride:

'Eccentricity'   Stride piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded May 1921   Composition: Johnson

Issued per QRS 1011000   See the compilation Biograph BLP1009Q

'Carolina Shout'   Stride piano by James P. Johnson

Recorded 18 Oct 1921 in NYC   Composition: Johnson

Issued on OKeh S-70259-D / S-70260 -C / 4495 flip side of 'Keep Off the Grass'

Labels for OKeh S-70259-D / S-70260 -C were hand-written   Okeh 4495 was stamped

'Harlem Strut'   Stride piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded June 1922   Composition: Johnson

Issued on QRS 101014

'The Charleston'   Stride piano roll by James P. Johnson

Recorded June 1925 in NYC   Composition: Johnson

Issued on QRS 3143

Johnson did indeed stride through the Roaring Twenties, such that he was able to comfortably weather the Great Depression largely on royalties. Though his was hardly a path to riches, the ability to sustain himself through music alone testifies to the considerable popularity of Johnson, pianolas (player pianos) and those with whom he recorded such as Bessie Smith, Clarence Williams, Ethel Waters and Annette Hanshaw. People who sing blues complain about all that they can find, always whining about some quantum-sized thing, like dust on a broom (Robert Johnson). Ever do they search existence and what is hidden from existence for something to cry about. Sometimes a dead ringer like 'Wasted Life Blues' succinctly sums things up.

'Back Water Blues'   James P. Johnson backing Bessie Smith

Recorded 17 Feb 1927   Composition: Bessie Smith

Issued on Columbia 14195-D flip of 'Preachin' the Blues'

'Guess Who's In Town'   James P. Johnson backing Ethel Waters

Recorded 21 August 1928    Matrix 146872-1   Columbia 14353-D

Music: Johnson   Lyrics: Andy Razaf

'My Handy Man'   James P. Johnson backing Ethel Waters

Recorded 21 August 1928    Matrix 146873-1   Columbia 14353-D

Composition: Andy Razaf

'Wasted Life Blues'   James P. Johnson backing Bessie Smith

Recorded 1 Oct 1929 in NYC    Columbia 14476-D

Composition: Bessie Smith

'Blue Spirit Blues'   James P. Johnson backing Bessie Smith

Recorded 11 Oct 1929 in NYC    Columbia 14527-D

Composition: Spencer Williams

During the Depression years (1929-39) Johnson backed such as Ida Cox (1936), Pee Wee Russell (1938) and Mezz Mezzrow (1938).

'You've Got to Be Modernistic'   Stride piano by James P. Johnson

Recorded 21 Jan 1930   Brunswick 4762

Composition: Johnson

'Baby, Won't You Please Come Home'   James P. Johnson w Pee Wee Russell's Rhythmakers

Recorded 31 August 1938 in NYC   HRS 1000

Clarinet: Russell   Trumpet: Max Kaminsky   Trombone: Dicky Wells

Composition: Charles Warfield / Clarence Williams

'After Tonight'   James P. Johnson as Jimmy Johnson & His Orchestra

Recorded 9 March 1939 in NYC   Vocalion 4768 /  Parlophone R 2683

Trumpet: Henry Red Allen   Composition: Johnson

Johnson recorded numerously with Russell, particularly in support of Eddie Condon beginning in 1943. Tom Lord traces Johnson through the forties to as late as 21 January of 1949 in support of Sidney Bechet & His Circle Seven.

'Back Water Blues'   Stride blues by James P. Johnson

Recorded 17 Nov 1943   Blue Note 25

Composition: Bessie Smith

'Keep Off the Grass'   Stride piano roll by James P. Johnson   1944

Also recorded for Decca in NYC in 1944   Issued on 4495-A

Composition: Johnson

'I Got Rhythm'   James P. Johnson w Sidney Bechet & His Circle Seven

Recorded 31 Jan 1949 in NYC   Circle J1058

Soprano sax: Bechet   Trumpet: Albert Snaer   Trombone: Wilbur De Paris

Clarinet: Buster Bailey   Double Bass: Walter Page   Drums: George Wettling

Music: George Gershwin   Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Lord has Johnson privately recording several solos in Los Angeles likely in September of 1949, three to see release on Pumpkin 117: 'Sugar', 'Sugar Hill Theme' and 'Steeplechase Rag'. Johnson retired in 1951 upon paralysis from stroke. He died on November 17, 1955, in Queens, among the elephantine in the development of jazz for the simple genius of stride rhythm.