Leslie Johnakins

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Leslie Franklin "Babe" Johnakins (born October 1, 1911 , † October 4, 2005 ) was an American jazz musician ( alto and baritone saxophone , composition , arrangement ).

Live and act

Johnakins began his career in the early 1930s in the Territory Band of pianist Jimmy Gunn in Charlotte (North Carolina) , with whom he made his first recordings in 1931 and 1936 ("Wabash Blues", Victor Records ). Skeets Tolbert also played in Gunn's band ; In the following years he worked with his band Skeets Tolbert and His Gentlemen of Swing in New York City, as well as with Claude Hopkins , Blanche Calloway , Hot Lips Page , Earl Bostic and from 1937 with Andy Kirk , for whom he also worked as a composer and arranger was active. His composition “Wednesday Night Hop” ( Decca 1937) was later covered by George Shearing , Teddy Stauffer , Helmuth Wernicke and Max Springher . He wrote the composition "What a Relief" published in 1942.

In addition, Johnakins played with Jabbo Smith (1938), Buddy Johnson (1941) and from 1945 with Machito and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra; he also participated in recordings of Billie Holiday (" Georgia On My Mind ", 1941), Charlie Parker and Machito ( Afro Cuban Jazz Suite ), as well as in record sessions with singers Esther Phillips , Annie Laurie / Hal Singer and Big Maybelle as well Wynonie Harris , Titus Turner and Jimmy Scott . In the late 1950s he also played in the bands of Little Willie John , Bill Doggett , Bubber Johnson and Andy Gibson . In the 1970s he worked again in Machitos Salsa Big Band, with which he made a guest appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1982 ; Johnakins' last recordings were made in New York in 1986 when he played in the band of Mario Bauzá and Paquito D'Rivera ( Afrocuban Jazz ). In the field of jazz, he was involved in 60 recording sessions between 1931 and 1986.

literature

  • David Griffith: Leslie Johnakins - Always a Big band Musician . In: Storyville, No. 70 (April-May 1977), p. 137

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gunther Schuller The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930-1945 , Oxford, New York City: Oxford University Press 1989, p. 892
  2. ↑ life data
  3. ^ Thomas Hennessey: From Jazz to Swing: African-American Jazz Musicians and Their Music, 1890-1935 . 1994, p. 149.
  4. ^ Ralph Gleason : Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph J. Gleason Interviews . 2016
  5. ^ Storyville, Issues 153-162 Cover Storyville Publications, 1993
  6. ^ Andy Kirk: Twenty Years on Wheels . 1995, p. 130.
  7. ↑ Leif Bo Petersen, Theo Rehak: The Music and Life of Theodore "Fats" Navarro: Infatuation ., 2009, p. 44
  8. ^ G. Schuller The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz 1930-1945 , Oxford 1989, p. 359
  9. ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical Compositions, Part 3, 1942
  10. ^ Barry Kernfeld : What to Listen for in Jazz . 1995, p. 209
  11. ↑ Chris Sheridan: Dis Here: A Bio-discography of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley . 2000, p. 28
  12. ↑ Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed August 29, 2016)
  13. ↑ Note from Alyn Shipton: Groovin 'High: The Life of Dizzy Gillespie . 2001
personal data
SURNAME Johnakins, Leslie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johnakins, Leslie Franklin (full name); Johnakins, Babe (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (alto and baritone saxophone, composition, arrangement)
DATE OF BIRTH October 1, 1911
DATE OF DEATH October 4, 2005