James P. Johnson, Snowy Morning Blues - 57m 38s

Tracks & Durations

1. What Is This Thing Called Love?	3:10
2. Crying for the Carolines	3:02
3. You've Got To Be Modernistic	3:14
4. Jingles	3:27
5. I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling	2:56
6. Honeysuckle Rose	2:40
7. Keepin' Out of Mischief Now	2:34
8. My Fate Is in Your Hands	2:55
9. Blue Turning Gray Over You	2:45
10. Squeeze Me	2:50
11. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter	2:49
12. Ain't Misbehavin' (I'm Savin' My Love for You)	2:58
13. Snowy Morning Blues	2:33
14. Carolina Shout	2:34
15. Keep Off the Grass	2:40
16. Old Fashioned Love	3:13
17. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)	2:46
18. A Porter's Love Song	2:45
19. Over the Bars	2:27
20. Riffs	3:10

Note: The information about this album is acquired from the publicly available resources and we are not responsible for their accuracy.

Review

This collection of James P. Johnson's Decca recordings is an excellent introduction to the pianist's art, including early and later recordings, some of his own best-known pieces, and well-known pieces by others. Four piano solos from 1930 include an animated rendition of Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" and his own "You've Got to Be Modernistic," while the bulk of the material comes from 1944 recordings. For the first eight of these, Johnson is accompanied by drummer Eddy Dougherty in a series of pieces associated with his recently deceased friend Fats Waller. It's an affecting tribute, tempering Waller's exuberance with Johnson's more reflective approach, and it includes both Waller's own compositions, like "Ain't Misbehavin' " and "Honeysuckle Rose," and songs strongly associated with him, like his biggest hit, "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter." The later solo recordings of some of Johnson's earlier and best-known pieces, including "Snowy Morning Blues" and "Carolina Shout," couple his enduring playing ability with significantly improved recording technology. --Stuart Broomer

Please note: we do not provide any James P. Johnson music downloads, have no any mp3 music including music samples and music ringtones, and can not assist you where to buy music CDs and used CDs. You can search for it on music sites all over the Internet or visit one of our advertisers. We appreciate any ideas and comments about this experimental music database.