Stephen Johnston Group: SOJO

Jazz Guitarist Stephen Johnston is a musical chameleon of the tallest order. Not only is he a swinging full-out Jazz Guitarist, he’s also a die-hard fusion player and a soulful note-squeezing blues player. “SOJO”, the latest release from the Stephen Johnston Group displays all of these chops and more in a “rockin’” eight song set comprised of all original compositions and with enough energy to light-up the New York Skyline for several days.

“SOJO” kicks out the jams with a post-bop Johnston tune called “Messin”, a “mixed meter” tune inspired by Cannonball Adderley. Johnston showcases his Jazz chops on this one as he exhibits a proclivity for the up-tempo improvised line, at times staying close to the melody while at other times taking the changes just a little further out but still within the realm of taste. Alto saxophonist Erik Hove plays some wonderful lines as well and pulls a little something out of his Eric Dolphy bag during a few measures, adding a nice tension to the mix. Drummer John Fraboni has some great ears on this tune and really knows how to complement each artist during their solos. He gets a chance to shine towards the end of the tune with some smashing playing…literally…a great cymbal and snare man. Paul Shrofel’s Rhodes provides a nice warm sound giving the tune a mid 70’s vibe which I really liked and Adrian Vedady’s acoustic bass playing holds the band together tight. An excellent introduction to a terrific album by a great band.

The rest of the tunes offer the same exceptional playing and energy that we have now come to expect from the Stephen Johnston Group. “Shiftin” is a very cool swing tune that would make a powerful big band chart if I ever heard one. Johnston sticks to his Jazz bag on this one with some nice legato playing. Both Hove and Shrofel, now on acoustic piano, give expert performances while Vedady walks like a mofo. Very hip stuff!

And speaking of hip, if you like your Blues down home and dirty New Orleans style then you gotta check out “Mr. Timmons”. Johnston bends the slickest of notes on this Albert King/Nelson Symonds* inspired composition and his solo contains some text-book blues licks along with some nice straight ahead lines. Shrofel and Hove both give sprinted solos while Fraboni and Vedady keep it tight and grounded.

“Oren’s Peace” offers us another Bluesy tune this time steeped in the Gospel tradition with Johnston playing some sweet melodic bends to get his point across. This tune has a great feel that reminds me of the closing theme to SNL (Saturday Night Live) with a soulful vocal by “…the talented Mr. Jeff Simons”. There’s an amusing tale about this song but ya gotta buy the CD to read about it because I’m not telling. Also as an added bonus, Johnston includes an instrumental version of this tune at the end of the CD with lively playing by all.

Johnston’s fusion bag comes into play on the tunes “Blue Sojo” and “Waiting”. “Blue Sojo” has a great 70’s feel to it with the addition of Johnston’s slightly overdriven phase shifter sound and Shrofel’s Rhodes playing. If you are familiar with 70’s New York studio cat David Spinoza then you know what I’m talking about. If not, let’s just say it’s a very cool sounding track. Some great lines fly from Johnston’s fingers and Vedady gets a chance to blow over the changes like a pro. The power chords at the end tie up this tune nicely and there’s even a triangle at the beginning of the tune. How cool is that!

“Waiting”, also features Johnston’s slightly overdriven guitar sound and is very reminiscent of Scofield’s earlier “Shinola” period. Thoughtful notes and a great feel make this a hard tune not to try and cop some lines from.

Lastly, the title “Autobahn Tapdance” pretty much says it all. This is Johnston’s “bebop colossus” and it is a smokin’ tune with a killer bop head that rivals any of the complex bop heads around. Taken at a fast clip, “Autobahn Tapdance” showcases Johnston’s fleet-fingered fingerboard manipulations as well as his awesome writing chops. Johnston cuts through the changes like a Jaguar E-type XKE convertible racing down the Autobahn at 180 miles an hour. It’s that good. And Erik Hove’ classic bop soloing would have had no problem at all fitting in at Minton’s Jazz Club circa 1940’s. Kudos to all!

In his interview with Jazz Guitar Life, Stephen Johnston mentions that this CD is actually his Masters thesis, which would explain the diverse nature of the tunes. Not that that’s an issue because this is an enormously entertaining CD showcasing a very strong guitar talent with compositional chops to boot. It should be heard by as many people as possible. I look forward to hearing more from the Stephen Johnston Group and I can only assume that he received a resounding “pass” for his efforts. Well done!

• ed's. note: Nelson Symonds is a local Montreal Jazz Guitar treasure who has influenced a string of very popular guitarists in the biz today…and you should all know who Albert king is...:)

Stephen Johnston will have a web-site soon and will be added here shortly.

Lyle Robinson