James P. Johnson - James P. Johnson - The Father of Stride Piano: Carolina Shout: His 48 Finest 1917-1949 (2021)

James Price Johnson (1894-1955) was the greatest pianist of the Harlem ‘stride’ school, a style he virtually invented. His early playing had an almost orchestral approach to the keyboard, showing ragtime, blues and classical influences within a muscular, percussive ‘stride’ sound. He taught Fats Waller and influenced Duke Ellington; in fact, he is only equalled by Earl Hines and Art Tatum as the supreme pianist in jazz history.

Retrospective’s Carolina Shout (the title of his most famous piano composition) offers a rounded portrait on two well-filled CDs of the “Father of Stride Piano”, from examples of his piano rolls and pre-electrical recordings through to a late outing with Sidney Bechet in 1949, September Song. There are 17 scintillating solos from Snowy Morning Blues to his magnificent Liza of 1945. He is a sensitive accompanist to Bessie Smith (Backwater Blues) and Ethel Waters (the risqué My Handy Man) among others. There are half a dozen wonderful trios and quartets, including those with clarinettists Omer Simeon and Rod Cless. Then a full score of great band items features a host of top jazz names, among them Henry “Red” Allen, Vic Dickenson, Edmond Hall, Max Kaminsky, Frankie Newton, Muggsy Spanier, Fats Waller and Ben Webster. Johnson was also a fine composer, writing no fewer than 23 of the numbers on Carolina Shout. These include such familiar hits as The Charleston, If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight and Old-Fashioned Love. In fact, the whole exuberant collection vividly demonstrates that James P. Johnson’s pivotal role in jazz history is joyfully beyond question.

Tracklist:
1-1. James P. Johnson, Eddie Dougherty - Carolina Shout (02:36)
1-2. James P. Johnson - Over the Bars – Piano Roll (02:27)
1-3. James P. Johnson - Bleeding Hearted Blues – Pre-electric Recording (03:12)
1-4. James P. Johnson, Bessie Smith - Preachin’ the Blues (02:52)
1-5. James P. Johnson, Bessie Smith - Backwater Blues (03:20)
1-6. James P. Johnson - Snowy Morning Blues (02:42)
1-7. James P. Johnson, The Louisiana Sugar Babes - Willow Tree (03:27)
1-8. Jimmy Johnson & His Orchestra - Chicago Blues (02:45)
1-9. James P. Johnson, Ethel Waters - My Handy Man (02:59)
1-10. James P. Johnson, The Gulf Coast Seven - Daylight Savin’ Blues (02:50)
1-11. James P. Johnson - Riffs (03:05)
1-12. James P. Johnson - You’ve Got to Be Modernistic (03:15)
1-13. James P. Johnson - Jingles (03:26)
1-14. James P. Johnson, Pee Wee Russell (clarinet) & his Rhythmakers - Dinah (02:43)
1-15. James P. Johnson, Zutty & James P. Trio The Pee Wee - Everybody Loves My Baby (02:26)
1-16. James P. Johnson, Frankie Newton (trumpet) & his Orchestra - The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise (03:16)
1-17. James P. Johnson, Frankie Newton (trumpet) & his Orchestra - Who? (03:13)
1-18. James P. Johnson, Rosetta Crawford (vocal) & her Hep Cats - Stop It, Joe (03:11)
1-19. Jimmy Johnson & His Orchestra - Hungry Blues (03:05)
1-20. James P. Johnson - If Dreams Come True (03:14)
1-21. James P. Johnson - The Mule Walk (02:30)
1-22. James P. Johnson - Blueberry Rhyme (03:24)
1-23. James P. Johnson (piano) & his Orchestra - Old-fashioned Love (03:04)
1-24. James P. Johnson (piano) & his Orchestra - Swingin’ At the Lido (02:58)
1-25. James P. Johnson - Boogie Woogie Stride (03:21)
1-26. James P. Johnson, Edmond Hall (clarinet) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Blues At Blue Note (04:14)
2-27. James P. Johnson, Edmond Hall (clarinet) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Blue Note Boogie (03:59)
2-28. James P. Johnson (piano) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Blue Mizz (03:54)
2-29. James P. Johnson (piano) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - After You’ve Gone (04:28)
2-30. James P. Johnson - I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling (02:59)
2-31. James P. Johnson - Honeysuckle Rose (02:58)
2-32. James P. Johnson (piano) & his New York Orchestra - The Boogie Dream (03:38)
2-33. James P. Johnson (piano) & his New York Orchestra - The Dream (03:57)
2-34. James P. Johnson, Sidney De Paris (trumpet) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Ballin’ the Jack (04:47)
2-35. James P. Johnson, Sidney De Paris (trumpet) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Who’s Sorry Now? (04:17)
2-36. James P. Johnson, Max Kaminsky (trumpet) & his Jazz Band - The Love Nest (03:03)
2-37. James P. Johnson, Rod Cless (clarinet) & his Quartet - Make Me a Pallet On the Floor (03:24)
2-38. James P. Johnson, Rod Cless (clarinet) & his Quartet - I Know That You Know (03:00)
2-39. James P. Johnson, Eddie Dougherty - Keep Off the Grass (02:40)
2-40. James P. Johnson, Eddie Dougherty - If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (02:47)
2-41. James P. Johnson, Eddie Dougherty - A Porter’s Love Song to a Chambermaid (02:46)
2-42. James P. Johnson (piano) & his Blue Note Jazzmen - Tishomingo Blues (04:36)
2-43. James P. Johnson, Omer Simeon, Pops Foster, The Carnival Three - Harlem Hotcha (02:49)
2-44. James P. Johnson, Omer Simeon, Pops Foster, The Carnival Three - Lorenzo’s Blues (02:39)
2-45. James P. Johnson - Liza (02:51)
2-46. James P. Johnson, The Bechet/mezzrow Feetwarmers - Fast Blues (06:03)
2-47. James P. Johnson, The 'This Is Jazz' All-stars - The Charleston (04:02)
2-48. James P. Johnson, Sidney Bechet (soprano sax) & his Circle Seven - September Song (02:58)