Clarence Johnston (jazz drummer)
American jazz drummer (1925–2019)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clarendon Carlisle Johnston (October 24, 1925 – May 17, 2019), commonly known as Clarence Johnston (sometimes misspelled as Johnson),[1] was an American jazz drummer.[2][3]
Clarence Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 24, 1925 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | May 17, 2019 (aged 93) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1950s–1970s |
Life and career
Johnston was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 24, 1925.
He appeared on several mid-1950s recordings by James Moody and early 1960s albums by vocalist Joe Williams, by sax player Jimmy Forrest, and by organist Freddie Roach, including the latter's debut on the Blue Note label, Down to Earth (1962). In the second half of the 1970s, he appeared on three Sonny Stitt albums.
Johnston moved to Los Angeles in 1971 and became a drum mentor at Grant's Music School. He died in Burbank, California on May 17, 2019, at the age of 94.[4]
Discography
With James Moody
Source:[5]
| Release year | Album | Label | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 (recorded September) | Moody | Prestige | James Moody and his band |
| 1954 (recorded September) | James Moody's Moods | Prestige | James Moody, Dave Burns, William Shepherd, Pee Wee Moore, Jimmy Boyd, John Lathan, Clarence Johnston |
| 1955 | Hi Fi Party | Prestige | James Moody, Dave Burns, William Shepherd, Pee Wee Moore, Jimmy Boyd, John Lathan, Eddie Jefferson |
| 1955 | Wail, Moody, Wail | Prestige | James Moody, Dave Burns, William Shepherd, Pee Wee Moore, Jimmy Boyd, John Lathan |
| 1956 | Flute 'n the Blues | Argo | James Moody, Johnny Coles, William Shepherd, Pee Wee Moore, Jimmy Boyd, John Lathan |
| 1959 (recorded August) | James Moody | Argo | James Moody, Johnny Coles, Tom McIntosh, Musa Kaleem, Gene Kee, John Lathan |
| 1959 (recorded December) | Hey! It's James Moody | Argo | James Moody, Johnny Gray, Eldee Young, Eddie Jefferson |
With Jimmy Forrest
Source:[6]
| Release year | Album | Label | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 (recorded April) | Out of the Forrest [1] | Prestige | Jimmy Forrest, Joe Zawinul, Tommy Potter |
| 1961 (recorded September) | Sit Down and Relax with Jimmy Forrest | Prestige | Jimmy Forrest, Hugh Lawson, Calvin Newborn, Tommy Potter |
| 1961 (recorded October) | Most Much! | Prestige | Jimmy Forrest, Hugh Lawson, Tommy Potter, Ray Barretto |
With Freddie Roach
Source:[7]
| Release year | Album | Label | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Down to Earth | Blue Note | Freddie Roach, Percy France, Kenny Burrell |
| 1963 | Mo' Greens Please | Blue Note | Freddie Roach, Kenny Burrell, Conrad Lester |
| 1964 | Good Move! | Blue Note | Freddie Roach, Eddie Wright, Blue Mitchell, Hank Mobley |
| 1964 | Brown Sugar [8] | Blue Note | Freddie Roach, Eddie Wright, Joe Henderson |
| 1965 | All That's Good | Blue Note | Freddie Roach, Conrad Lester, Calvin Newborn, Marvin Robinson, Phyllis Smith, Willie Tate |
With Sonny Stitt
| Release year | Album | Label | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Forecast: Sonny & Red [9] | Catalyst | Sonny Stitt, Red Holloway, Art Hillery, Larry Gales |
| 1976 | I Remember Bird [10] | Catalyst | Sonny Stitt, Frank Rosolino, Dolo Coker, Allen Jackson |
| 1977 | Sonny Stitt with Strings: A Tribute to Duke Ellington [11] | Catalyst | Sonny Stitt, Gildo Mahones, Allen Jackson, string section arranged and conducted by Bill Finegan |
With others
| Release year | Album | Label | Personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Together | Roulette | Joe Williams, Harry Edison, Jimmy Forrest, Charles Thompson, Tommy Potter |
| 1962 | Jawbreakers [12] | Riverside | Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Harry Edison, Hugh Lawson, Ike Isaacs |
| 1962 | Wanted to Do One Together (also released as Ben and "Sweets" )[13] | Columbia | Ben Webster, Harry Edison, Hank Jones, George Duvivier |
| 1963 | Never Let Me Go [14] | Blue Note | Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott, Sam Jones |
| 1967 | Extension [7] | Blue Note | George Braith, Billy Gardner, Grant Green |
| 1979 | A Woman Knows [15] | Discovery | Lorez Alexandria, Jack Wilson, Charles Owens, Brian Atkinson, Rick Zurtigar, Allen Jackson |