Aubrey Johnson
Voice Solo on
Akatombo

About

Aubrey Johnson takes the final solo on voice, following Jun Iida. Set within a straight feel, the key of E♭, the solo navigates the chord changes with purpose. Coming last in the solo order, Johnson has the task of building on everything that came before while steering the performance back toward the closing head. The original "Akatombo" (Red Dragonfly), written in 1927 with lyrics by Rofuu Miki, is one of Japan's most cherished folk melodies, evoking nostalgic memories of childhood and the changing seasons. "Akatombo" is Jun Iida's jazz arrangement of the beloved Japanese children's song composed by Kosaku Yamada, featured on the 2023 album Evergreen.

Aubrey Johnson was 37 to 38 years old at the time.