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Leonard "Lenny" Johnson /Quincy Jones



 
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Odneal's Inferno
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 8:27 am    Post subject: Leonard "Lenny" Johnson /Quincy Jones Reply with quote

I just heard this last night and discovered Leonard "Lenny" Johnson as a killer lead player. Does anyone know anything about him? I don't know how I could have missed this monster.

THE WHOLE DVD IS SMOKIN"! Clark, Terry, Benny, Bailey, well the band is full of awsome soloists including a jazz french horn player.


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Jerry Freedman
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lennie Johnson taught at Berklee in the late 60s and 70s. I believe he died of a heart attack in the late 70s. He had a sound so big you wanted to leave the room when he played. Someone told me that his son is or was a writer for the Boston Globe
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dbacon
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 19, 2006 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I gotta get that DVD, Benny Bailey is a real hero of mine!

Jazz Icons, that must be the web site.

http://www.jazzicons.com/
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Nick Mondello
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Leonard "Lenny" Johnson /Quincy Jones Reply with quote

Quote:
I just heard this last night and discovered Leonard "Lenny" Johnson as a killer lead player. Does anyone know anything about him? I don't know how I could have missed this monster.

THE WHOLE DVD IS SMOKIN"! Clark, Terry, Benny, Bailey, well the band is full of awsome soloists including a jazz french horn player.


Bob:

Stumbled across this post.

Lennie (I always thought it was "Lannie," FYI) Johnson did indeed teach at Berklee in the 60's. I remember him very well. Can picture him now. Why? Because he led one of the practice big bands I was in. He was just off Basie's band. Played an old beat up axe (think it was a Connstellation under there) but made it SOAR.

As a teacher, ALL he cared about was helping you, teaching you, showing you stuff. He showed me how to swing more by RELAXING. He was ALWAYS so nice and encouraging to me. A really happy man.

An incredible example of a teacher and influence you "remember." Also, an example of someone who taught from experience vs. degrees, pedigree, etc.

Best regards,
Nick
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Nick Mondello
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Leonard "Lenny" Johnson /Quincy Jones Reply with quote

Quote:
I just heard this last night and discovered Leonard "Lenny" Johnson as a killer lead player. Does anyone know anything about him? I don't know how I could have missed this monster.

THE WHOLE DVD IS SMOKIN"! Clark, Terry, Benny, Bailey, well the band is full of awsome soloists including a jazz french horn player.


Bob:

Stumbled across this post.

Lennie (I always thought it was "Lannie," FYI) Johnson did indeed teach at Berklee in the 60's. I remember him very well. Can picture him now. Why? Because he led one of the practice big bands I was in. He was just off Basie's band. Played an old beat up axe (think it was a Connstellation under there) but made it SOAR.

As a teacher, ALL he cared about was helping you, teaching you, showing you stuff. He showed me how to swing more by RELAXING. He was ALWAYS so nice and encouraging to me. A really happy man.

An incredible example of a teacher and influence you "remember." Also, an example of someone who taught from experience vs. degrees, pedigree, etc.

Best regards,
Nick
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Odneal's Inferno
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks NICK!
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RarePearl007
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 3:53 pm    Post subject: Lenny Johnson Reply with quote

It was so awesome to trip upon this site and view the conversation about my grandfather. My grandfather (Leonard Charles Johnson I) died when I was six years old, but I remember him clearly. He died in the early 70s (probably 1973).

My father was his youngest son, Larry Curtis Johnson. He did work for The Boston Globe early in his career, but he was not a writer. He was an Editorial Sports Cartoonist. He is now a radio commentator for sports on WEEI, in Boston.

Thank you for touching my soul. I just happened to google my grandfather's name because I have two college educated sons who pursued music careers, though I never detected their talent early in life.

It's in the blood.

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B935
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PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 8:00 pm    Post subject: Lennie Johnson Reply with quote

I began my first year at Berklee in 1970. Lennie was never my trumpet teacher but I had some ensembles with him. A prince of a man and also a very good jazz player. He used a teaching technique called the pre air. You would start with air only going through horn and then after a few seconds allow the note to sound. I have never heard of any other teacher using this teaching technique. I don't know if there was a pre air routine or how the pre air was actually used in the practice room. Pop's or any other heavyweight teachers, your comments would be appreciated.

Pete Beller
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Al Innella
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was a student at the Army-Navy School of Music in 1970.I was friends with an other trumpet player who studied with Lennie at Berklee. He spoke highly of him as a teacher and a performer.He used to always talk about Lennie's "buffer note".
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Odneal's Inferno
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 4:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Lenny Johnson Reply with quote

RarePearl007 wrote:
It was so awesome to trip upon this site and view the conversation about my grandfather. My grandfather (Leonard Charles Johnson I) died when I was six years old, but I remember him clearly. He died in the early 70s (probably 1973).

My father was his youngest son, Larry Curtis Johnson. He did work for The Boston Globe early in his career, but he was not a writer. He was an Editorial Sports Cartoonist. He is now a radio commentator for sports on WEEI, in Boston.

Thank you for touching my soul. I just happened to google my grandfather's name because I have two college educated sons who pursued music careers, though I never detected their talent early in life.

It's in the blood.



It was great to see your post!
Lenny, The Man!!!
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Lionel
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2016 4:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Johnson taught at Berklee back in the sixties and early seventies. He had double C's as big as a house. Was much admired by all who knew him.

Friend of mine raved about him.
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Mr.Hollywood
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Bob,

I'm not sure if that is Lenny you are hearing on lead there as whenever Quincy had ANY trumpet section with Benny Bailey, Benny was always on lead. Quincy called Benny his favorite lead trumpet player back in the mid 1960's before Benny left the US for Europe.

But I could easily be wrong if Lenny is identified in the liner notes as the lead player, if it just lists the trumpet but doesn't say who is on lead then its most definitely Benny if its a Quincy session.

That "pre air" stuff that somebody mentioned before. Thats something that Carmine Caruso used to teach. As most everybody knows I'm a Reinhardt guy (and so was Benny Bailey) But I did take some lessons with Carmine as a kid growing up in New Rochelle. That pre air technique was only for the real advanced Carmine students. I only took a few lessons so it was never given to me, but I did see him give it to other students while I waited for my lesson.

As far as Benny Bailey, he was a kid on Lionel Hamptons band blowing his chops out every night. He then said that he got ahold of Reinhardt's first book for trumpet and trombone (The Pivot Manual pub.1942) and that slowly it turned his playing around,

Merry Christmas everybody

Chris LaBarbera
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Lionel
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mr.Hollywood wrote:
Hi Bob,

I'm not sure if that is Lenny you are hearing on lead there as whenever Quincy had ANY trumpet section with Benny Bailey, Benny was always on lead. Quincy called Benny his favorite lead trumpet player back in the mid 1960's before Benny left the US for Europe.

But I could easily be wrong if Lenny is identified in the liner notes as the lead player, if it just lists the trumpet but doesn't say who is on lead then its most definitely Benny if its a Quincy session.

That "pre air" stuff that somebody mentioned before. Thats something that Carmine Caruso used to teach. As most everybody knows I'm a Reinhardt guy (and so was Benny Bailey) But I did take some lessons with Carmine as a kid growing up in New Rochelle. That pre air technique was only for the real advanced Carmine students. I only took a few lessons so it was never given to me, but I did see him give it to other students while I waited for my lesson.

As far as Benny Bailey, he was a kid on Lionel Hamptons band blowing his chops out every night. He then said that he got ahold of Reinhardt's first book for trumpet and trombone (The Pivot Manual pub.1942) and that slowly it turned his playing around,

Merry Christmas everybody

Chris LaBarbera



Good to see ya posting again Chris. Keep 'em coming.

Check yer private messages. Happy holidays!
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