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Jeff Johnson
Biography
Born in Minneapolis, Jeff Johnson ("Free" to some of his colleagues) left his hometown at the ripe, impressionable age of 20. While spending time in Philadelphia and New York, he worked with several well-known musicians, including Philly Joe Jones, Charlie Rouse, Barney Kessel, Chet Baker, Lew Tabackin, Eddie Daniels, Mark Murphy, and several others. His career was significantly affected when he met pianists Jessica Williams in Seattle in 1991, and Hal Galper at the 1993 Port Townsend Festival. With these outstanding keyboard virtuosos, Johnson has established a continuing musical relationship. He was Williams' bass player on six albums cut between 1994 and 1996, and worked with Hal Galper on five albums between 1994 and 1999. As one of the most sought-after bass players in the Northwest United States area, he has backed singer Kendra Shank and occupied the bass chair in combos headed by Richard Cole, John Bishop, and Steve Korn. After years of performing with these top of the list jazz artists, he started to lead his own groups, which has resulted in two releases, Free in 1994 and The Art of Falling in 1998, both for the West Coast Origin label. He has also spent more time composing his own material for his own releases.
Selected Discography