Johnny Griffin
Tenor Sax
About
Johnny Griffin was a jazz saxophonist and one of the greatest bop players of his generation. He was particularly known for the speed and control of his playing. Griffin worked constantly throughout the 1950s. His large body of work includes solo albums, recordings with Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, collaborations with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and the legendary "A Blowin' Session" with John Coltrane and Hank Mobley. In 1963 he grew disillusioned with the jazz scene in the US and moved to Europe. He continued to record and perform with a variety artists, most notably the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band. Griffin passed away at his home in France in 2008 at the age of 80.
Trivia
Johnny Griffin was known as "The Little Giant" due to his short stature. For many years Johnny Griffin returned to Chicago every April to play during his birthday week at the Jazz Showcase. Johnny Griffin joined the Army in 1951; he was stationed in Hawaii and played in the Army Band.
Early Life
Johnny Griffin was born in 1928 and grew up on the South Side of Chicago. His mother was a singer and his father played coronet. After seeing Gene Ammons perform Griffin was inspired to take up the saxophone. He studied music at DuSable High School, where Ammons as well as Nat King Cole and Dinah Washington were alumni. By age 14 Griffin was playing alto sax with T-Bone Walker. Immediately after graduating, at age 17, Griffin left Chicago to join Lionel Hampton's big band where he began playing the tenor saxophone.
Johnny Griffin Solos
1958
Tenor Sax solo - Nutty - 1958
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 146 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Blues Five Spot - 1958
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 138 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Let's Cool One - 1958
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 132 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - In Walked Bud - 1958
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 182 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Misterioso - 1958
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 80 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - 'Round Midnight - 1958
4/4 ballad in E♭ minor at 68 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Evidence - 1958
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 189 BPM
1957
Tenor Sax solo - The Way You Look Tonight - 1957
4/4 swing in F major at 318 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Ball Bearing - 1957
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 208 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - All The Things You Are - 1957
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 186 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Smoke Stack - 1957
4/4 swing in F major at 224 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Smoke Stack - 1957
4/4 swing in F major at 215 BPM
1956
Tenor Sax solo - Mil Dew - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 323 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Chicago Calling - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 141 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - These Foolish Things - 1956
4/4 ballad in E♭ major at 53 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - The Boy Next Door - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 136 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - The Boy Next Door - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 143 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Nice And Easy - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 131 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - It's All Right With Me - 1956
4/4 swing in D minor at 350 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - It's All Right With Me - 1956
4/4 swing in D minor at 342 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Lover Man - 1956
4/4 ballad in D minor at 52 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - The Way You Look Tonight - 1956
4/4 swing in F major at 340 BPM
Tenor Sax solo - Cherokee - 1956
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 323 BPM